Matheus Cunha has put Wolves in a difficult position by getting a red card against Bournemouth.
The red mist descended on the Brazilian at the Vitality Stadium, and he got dismissed for a scuffle with Milos Kerkez.
Cunha will now miss Wolves’ next three games.
He could potentially miss another, although it’s not thought Cunha’s previous FA ban will affect his punishment.
Cunha’s involvement for Wolves has been heavy this season, and he will be an absolutely huge miss.
Vitor Pereira now needs the supporting cast to stand up and be counted for, and Molineux News takes a look at who specifically Wolves really need in their hour of need.
Jorgen Strand Larsen
This is now Jorgen Strand Larsen’s time to step up for Wolves.
He made a bright start to lie at Molineux but rather faded around Christmas, and he recently got injured which halted his momentum.
Slightly concerningly, Strand Larsen has yet to find the net for Wolves in 2025, and the Norway international now really needs to rediscover his scoring mojo.
Hwang Hee-chan
Hwang Hee-chan is back in the picture again after injury, and Wolves need the South Korean to step up now more than ever.
It has not been a good season for him, having scored just two Premier League goals.
Hwang has seemed to struggle with his confidence this term, but with Cunha now out for at least three games, there could be a chance for him to become a main player for Wolves.
Previously, he’s looked good playing in a partnership up top.
He had a good understanding with Raul Jimenez, and he also used to play in a partnership with Erling Haaland at RB Salzburg.
He and Strand Larsen together could well be the key for Pereira amid Cunha’s absence.
Rayan Ait-Nouri
Perhaps a bit of a left-field pick for this list, but Ait-Nouri is the only other player after Cunha who falls into that ‘maverick’ player category.
The Algerian is technically amazing, and can do a lot of things that his teammates just can’t.
He has struggled at times defensively this season, which has been a bit of a recurring theme about Ait-Nouri since he came to Wolves.
| Rayan Ait-Nouri for Wolves in 2024/25 |
| Appearances – 30 |
| Minutes played – 2503 |
| Goals – 4 |
| Assists – 5 |
But he’s still been a big attacking threat, making nine goal contributions so far.
One would not put it past Ait-Nouri actually moving further up the pitch to play in Cunha’s left wing position while the Brazilian is out.
That would mostly take away the defensive responsibilities he currently has, and allow the £10 million (The Athletic) man to make use of his attacking qualities more.
Pereira hailed Ait-Nouri as ‘quality’ just days after arriving at Wolves, and the manager may not be expecting him to step up in a big way.