Many Wolves fans couldn’t believe it when the club signed Matheus Nunes this summer.
Sure he had been linked with a move to the club for many weeks.
But few actually felt as though he would actually come to Molineux, especially with some other big clubs sniffing around.
But the 24-year-old completed a £42 million switch from Sporting CP, making him the club’s record signing.
It was a brilliant coup for the club, with the Wolves’ midfield having been crying out for a refresh for some time.
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But so far it has been a slightly underwhelming spell for Nunes.
He has been used heavily, making 10 appearances for the club in all competitions and playing 90 minutes in seven of thise games.
Undoubtedly, there have been real glimmers of his talent.
When he picked up the ball deep against Chelsea, took the ball forwards and glided through about three players – that was Nunes’ game in a nutshell.
But such moments have been few and far between.
So far, Nunes has struggled a bit to have a big impact on games.
For a £42 million midfield enforcer, more was expected.
But arguably, Nunes is still learning the English game and obviously the whole team is struggling at the moment.
Admittedly, it’s been a challenging environment for him to play to his best level so far.
Arguably, he hasn’t really been playing in his best position since coming to Wolves, which is as a holding midfielder. He can also operate as a number eight.
Most of the time, Nunes has been occupying the inside right channel.
And he has been pushing quite high, sometimes playing as a number 10. And this means Wolves can’t make use of his ability to beat the press and break the lines with his dribbling.
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You can tell he’s got real quality. We just aren’t really seeing it all that often at the moment as Wolves struggle.
He really would benefit from playing a little bit deeper.
His best work at Sporting came when he was able to pick the ball up in the defensive third and advance through the lines. That ball carry against Chelsea was superb, and is the type of play we should be seeing from him on a regular basis.
Undoubtedly, more was expected from Nunes at this point given his £42 million price tag.
There has been a bit of criticism for him on social media from some recently.
But in time he’ll show his worth. Especially if the new manager plays to his strengths more.