Gary O’Neil could repeat one of his masterclasses of 2023/24 at Wolves with a player that the Old Gold are rumoured to admire.
Wolves ended the season with a 14th-place finish in the Premier League, as Gary O’Neil completed his first term at Molineux.
The Englishman showed that he is the perfect fit for the club through his desire to progress with his squad, despite their lack of depth over the campaign.
One element that saw the manager thrive in his debut term was his attention to detail when trying to squeeze the best out of his players, as many individuals saw their form improve compared to the season prior.
Matheus Cunha was one of those to benefit from O’Neil’s arrival and now, the manager could use a similar approach to improving one player linked with a move to the club.
Wolves are interested in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah
This week, a report from GIVEMESPORT detailed Wolves’ long-standing interest in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, who is also wanted by Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Transfer expert Dean Jones explained that the Old Gold are ‘in the hunt’ for a new striker but are poised to face competition from the two Premier League clubs.
A separate report from 90min suggested that the Gunners could demand a fee in the region of £35m for the out-of-favour forward, who could go from Arsenal’s trash to Wolves’ treasure.
Eddie Nketiah could follow in Matheus Cunha’s footsteps at Wolves
As mentioned, O’Neil has transformed the fate of Cunha at Wolves, something he could replicate in Nketiah, who with the right coaching, could follow in the Brazilian’s footsteps.
At Arsenal, the 25-year-old has shown glimpses of just how potent he can be in front of goal, with the fundamentals there that suggest a clinical forward could creep out of his shell.
Unfortunately, the striker has been unable to consistently tie down game time due to the competition at the Emirates, resulting in his development buffering.
A similar narrative was experienced by Cunha at Atletico Madrid before he signed for Wolves, as in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign, the forward managed to secure only two starts from 11 La Liga appearances, failing to score.
Unfortunately, things didn’t change for the 25-year-old when he moved to Molineux under Julen Lopetegui, as he netted twice from 17 Premier League appearances.
Since O’Neil’s arrival, a lot of attention has been paid to getting the best out of Cunha, with the manager studying exactly what makes the Brazilian tick, making subtle tweaks to see the £44m capture thrive.
Wolves’ number 12 ended the season with 12 goals and seven assists under O’Neil’s guidance, with the manager clearly capable of getting the best out of those needing assistance.
That’s where Nketiah comes in, when analysing some of the Arsenal outsider’s play over the 2023/24 campaign, it doesn’t take a lot to realise how much potential is there to be unlocked, something the Wolves boss could achieve.
Lauded as ‘incredible’ by Mikel Arteta for his impact with the Gunners last term, a move away from the pressures of North London could be the perfect switch for both Nketiah and Wolves, who could develop together, just as Cunha and O’Neil have.