Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha says he “need(s) to take the step” and challenge for major honours.
Cunha, 25, signed a new contract at Wolves in February which runs until June 2029 and contains a release clause.
That new deal, adding two years to his existing terms at Wolves, rewarded Cunha with a significant wage rise after an impressive 18 months at Molineux.
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Cunha had previously attracted interest from Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, and speculation has continued over his long-term future despite his contract extension.
“I had a lot of offers but I wouldn’t feel well if I had done it (left Wolves),” Cunha told The Guardian in an interview published on Sunday. “Some things you can’t control but I couldn’t leave the club in the middle of the season, in a difficult situation, in the relegation zone.
“Now, we’re close to achieving our goal (of staying up). But I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”
Cunha is serving a four-game ban for an incident of violent conduct during Wolves’ fifth-round FA Cup defeat by Bournemouth earlier this month and will not be eligible to return until the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on April 13.
Despite already serving a two-match ban earlier this season after elbowing an Ipswich Town staff member and pulling his glasses from his face in December, Cunha is Wolves’ top scorer this season with 15 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions. The Brazil international has already surpassed his total from 2023-24, when he registered 14 goals in 36 games.
Cunha joined Wolves from Atletico Madrid in January 2023, having only scored seven times in 54 appearances for the Spanish side, with his loan move becoming permanent for £43million (now $55.6m) that summer.
Cunha added that he worked with a psychologist after missing out on a place in Brazil’s 2022 World Cup squad having struggled at Atletico.
“I felt bad, really bad,” Cunha says. “I suffered a lot. I felt a lot not to have played the World Cup and I felt even worse because I didn’t go to the World Cup because I wasn’t playing for my club. I had the feeling that I just wanted an opportunity to show my football and be able to fight for a place on a more equal footing.”
Wolves are 17th in the Premier League, nine points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town. They host West Ham United in their next game on Tuesday.
(Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
