Wolves star Matheus Cunha sent strong message following Arsenal transfer snub

Wolves' Matheus Cunha has been an object of desire during this transfer window.

He will now remain out of reach - until the summer - after signing a new deal that ties him to the club until 2029.

The rumour mill linked the enigmatic striker with moves away from Molineux, with Villa and Nottingham Forest both interested and Arsenal monitoring his situation. The power-brokers at Molineux understood full well that allowing the Brazilian to leave would have been akin to signing a footballing suicide note and throughout insisted he was going nowhere - despite the noises of his agent.

Cunha demonstrated his worth by grabbing a goal in injury time that was a superb solo effort as they claimed a much-needed three points against Aston Villa on Saturday. The striker is crucial to Vitor Pereira's chances of engineering a move away from the bottom three.

Announcing the new deal, chairman Jeff Shi said: “Matheus has a good relationship with every at our Compton Park training ground, his personality is infectious to those around him, and we hope this new contract will provide a boost to the group.

“We can all see his quality on the pitch, but off it he’s developed into a leader and we’re delighted that he’s signed a new contract. It’s always important to us that we reward our strongest and most impactful players, and Matheus deserves this new deal.”

While there were similar words from sporting director Matt Hobbs, there was also a sting in the tail.

“It’s a big lift for everyone,” he said, “now he has to do what he has been doing. I expect him to knuckle down during the second half of the season because we need everyone at it.”

Cunha has a release clause in his new contract that will be activated in the summer. He'll need to perform between now and then to get interest coming back his way.