Wolves face a showdown against Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday and Vitor Pereira will welcome Matheus Cunha back into his matchday squad.
Cunha has been serving a four-match ban after lashing out at Milos Kerkez in Wolves FA Cup defeat against Bournemouth in March.
Wolves fans initially felt that losing the Brazilian during the run-in would have been a huge blow but in the 25-year-old’s absence, Vitor Pereira’s men have flourished, posting a four match unbeaten run.
The Old Gold have coped well without his influence and that bodes well for the summer as Cunha is set to leave Wolves with several clubs battling for his signature.
Ahead of Cunha’s return against Tottenham this weekend, Pereira now has a big decision to make; whether to start his top scorer or leave him on the bench.
Paul Merson left red-faced after Matheus Cunha prediction
Realistically, it would be a big call for Pereira to leave his star forward on the bench, regardless of where his future lies.
However, Wolves have seen their performance levels increase without him in the side, and that is crazy considering he’s scored 15 goals in all competitions.
Admittedly, when he was first handed his suspension, supporters feared the worst about their prospects, as did pundit Paul Merson.
“When Matheus Cunha got the ban, I thought Wolves would be in trouble,” Merson wrote in his column for Sportskeeda.
“But credit to them, they have been decent in recent weeks. Obviously, the fact that the three teams below them have been poor has helped them, but they still had to go out and win games, which they did.”
The former Arsenal forward was forced to eat humble pie after predicting Wolves to struggle, as a draw at home to Everton and wins against Southampton, West Ham and Ipswich Town have pulled them 12 points clear of the bottom three.
Wolves record with and without Cunha in 2024/25
Cunha’s talent is unquestionable. The electric forward has produced countless moments of brilliance this term, often dragging his side through matches.
A return of 15 goals highlights his importance individually but as a collective unit, the statistics show that Wolves have done better without him.
| Premier League 2024/25 stats | Wolves record with Matheus Cunha | Wolves record without Matheus Cunha |
| Matches | 26 | 5 |
| Wins | 6 | 3 |
| Draws | 4 | 1 |
| Losses | 16 | 1 |
Although two of their wins without Cunha have come against Ipswich and Southampton, not relying on one player has seen the Old Gold play with freedom.
Ultimately, it feels like the correct decision to leave him on the bench against Spurs, as it would be unfair to drop one of their in-form attackers.