Ruben Neves has officially left Wolves meaning a new talisman at Molineux is required – and Matheus Nunes should step forward.
Neves has departed the club to join Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal for a £47 million fee.
The move came as a real surprise to many, with Barcelona seemingly his next destination.
But he’s made his move to Saudi and will now be paid very handsomely. It’s a decision that some have criticised.
Neves’ exit creates a huge hole.
For years, he has been standout performer at Molineux and was easily the team’s best player at the time of his departure.
Wolves have struggled as a collective for the past two years. But Neves has always kept his level high. Who knows where the club would be without him.
With him gone, Wolves now need someone to take over his mantle. Someone that can step up and influence games regularly.
And the club may just have a top candidate in Matheus Nunes.
It’s time for Matheus Nunes to step up at Wolves – Ruben Neves’ exit could help him do that
Nunes arrived at Wolves to a lot of fanfare.
The club had chased him for most of last summer, and his £42 million transfer to Wolves did surprise quite a few people. Because other big clubs, such as Liverpool, were thought to really covet him.
But Nunes did not live up to that hype last season.
Too many times, he went missing in games. And on some occasions he tried to do too much and overcomplicate things.
In his defence, he was asked to play out wide in quite a lot of games. That is not his regular position, and he was just trying to do a job for the team.
And before Julen Lopetegui had him doing that, Bruno Lage was deploying him as an out-and-out attacking midfielder. Again, this did not play to Nunes’ strengths.
But with Neves now gone, there’s potential for Nunes to really step up.
We saw against Chelsea and Brentford – when Neves was suspended – how he thrived without his fellow countryman. Although he was often still operating in wider areas.
There is no reason why he can’t now perform like that more often with Neves out of the picture.
He’s got one Premier League season under his belt now and understands the league better than when he first arrived. This will stand him in good stead for his second term.
Matheus Nunes is Wolves’ new best player on paper
Now that Neves has left, Nunes is arguably Wolves’ best player. At least, on paper.
We haven’t see his best level yet. But we did see glimpses of his brilliance in 2022/23.
His ability to carry the ball long distances and to wriggle out of tight spaces is extremely impressive and very unique. And as we know, he has a cracking shot on him. The goal against Chelsea was stunning, as was his final strike for Sporting CP before he joined Wolves.
Nunes is a huge talent. There is absolutely no doubt about it.
For several reasons it hasn’t quite happened for him yet at Wolves. But perhaps now Neves has gone his time will come. It has been suggested he could be sold for the right price, but with Neves having gone the club may be a bit more reluctant to entertain any interest now.
He could well be the most talented player in the whole Wolves squad, and hopefully he’ll start proving one or two people wrong in 2023/24.