The majority of Wolves fans would have been sound asleep when the signing of Matheus Nunes was announced. However, confirmation of his arrival will have been welcome news to wake up to. The Portuguese midfielder had been linked with moves to the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, so for Wolves to have secured a midfielder of his calibre is a huge boost for Bruno Lage's side.
Wolves have been relatively quiet in the summer window. Nathan Collins and Goncalo Guedes are the other two new signings for Lage's side this summer with the Midlands outfit prioritising quality over quantity. Collins may have been relegated with Burnley, yet showed enough that he warrants a Premier League spot, while Guedes is a striker that will suit Lage's side.
Of the three new arrivals, though, Nunes is perhaps the most important. Lage has quality options in the middle of the park in Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker, yet none offer the same threat as Nunes in a key area. The trio are functional performers when Wolves use a three-man backline, a system that relies on the wing-backs stretch the play. All three are able to win the ball regularly and then spread possession well to utilise those on the left and right, maximising their vision and eye for a pass to pick out the runners down the flanks.
Yet while Lage did favour a three-man defence last season, that was perhaps due to necessity rather than a willingness to continue with the system. In his final campaign at the Molineux helm, Nuno Espirito Santo sought to use a 4-2-3-1 setup with more regularity, yet Wolves struggled in the system. They did falter at the end of the 2021/22 campaign - Wolves do come into Saturday's trip to Spurs on a nine-game winless run - but at least now Lage has a midfielder of Nunes' ilk to progress the play.
A key man in a 4-2-3-1 setup is one to advance the play with the ball at his feet rather than using a range of passing, and a central midfielder in that mould had been found wanting at Wolves. Indeed, Wolves' top dribbler in the middle of the park since the start of the 2021/22 Premier League season is Neves, who only completed 28 dribbles. Rayan Ait-Nouri (47) and Nelson Semedo (39) rank second and fourth, respectively, in this metric for the team, which further reinforces how important the wing-backs have been.
By comparison, Nunes has completed more dribbles (87) than any player since the start of the 2021/22 Liga Bwin campaign, that in itself more than any other Wolves player over the same period. In addition a dribble success rate of 70.2% in that time ranked third in Portugal's top tier, with Nunes proving to be one of the most consistent dribblers in Portugal last season.
🤤 Matheus Nunes has completed more dribbles (87) than any other player since the start of the 2021/22 Liga Bwin season pic.twitter.com/gNvA57yQGe
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) August 16, 2022
His addition, then, will add more flexibility to the Wolves midfield, which hadn't necessarily been found wanting, but would add another dimension to Lage's side. Off the ball too Nunes isn't one to make others carry out the defensive duties expected of him. Indeed, only two players have won possession in the midfield third more times than Nunes (127) since the start of the 2021/22 Liga Bwin season.
Comfortable playing in a midfield two in a three-man backline, this experience in a setup would allow Lage to revert back to this system should needs must, but it's proof that Nunes can also operate as one of the two midfield anchors in the 4-2-3-1 Lage has started this season.
With the onus on central midfielders wriggling their way out of tight situations, beating the press and progressing the play upfield, Nunes should prove a very important signing for Wolves as they seek to challenge for a European spot once more. They are hardly the finished article, but the addition of Nunes to the squad adds steel to the midfield and, crucially, a ball carrier in a key area that been found wanting.
