Martin Keown sends warning to Arsenal over signing ‘Ronaldo-like’ forward
The forward has also been linked with Chelsea and Man Utd.
Martin Keown was full of praise and condemnation for Matheus Cunha after he scored a wonder goal and was shown a red card in the FA Cup.
Cunha has been a standout player in the Premier League this season, recording 13 goals and four assists in 26 appearances for a struggling Wolves side.
That form has seen the forward linked with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, and it seems likely he will leave Molineux this summer when his £62.5million release clause becomes active.
The Brazilian added to his goal tally in some style on Saturday, scoring a rocket from 30 yards to level the score in Wolves’ FA Cup clash at AFC Bournemouth.
‘The ability he [Cunha] has is top-level. The goal he scores today belongs not in the FA Cup, it belongs in the Champions League it’s that good,’ Arsenal icon Keown said on Match of the Day.
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‘Give him too much space and he does this and that’s Ronaldo-like. That’s top-level, absolutely top-drawer finish.
‘Strikes right through the ball, beautiful, keeper isn’t getting anywhere near it.’
However, Cunha’s ill discipline has been an issue, having received a two-match ban in December for pulling off an Ipswich Town staff member’s glasses during a touchline scrap.
And he’ll now miss a further four matches after being involved in a violent confrontation with Bournemouth star Milos Kerkez in the 120th minute of the cup clash.
After the defender tugged at his shirt, Cunha hit Kerkez several timesbefore kicking and headbutting him in shocking scenes at the Vitality stadium.
He was instantly sent off and had to be dragged down the tunnel by coaching staff and stewards, before Wolves were knocked out of the cup on penalties.
Keown was stunned by Cunha’ actions and said that the player is no help to any team if he does not cut out these incidents.
‘Then suddenly, we see the ugly. Kerkez gets involved and then that’s a right, left, kick and a headbutt, it’s the three-card trick really,’ the former defender added.
‘I’ve not seen that on a football pitch since the 70s. He just cannot do that. He just lost it completely.
‘And worse still, they just could not get him out of the ground. In the end the cameras had to come away. This was the ugly part.
‘This is something he has to stop because he has a history of this already. He pulled the glasses off a steward recently so whether it’s going to be three games or more this fella has to play and it’s vital he’s going to be available.
‘They [Wolves] need points to stay up and the Ipswich game is massive. They’re five points clear now but that’s a huge loss they need him back on the pitch.’
Cunha will now miss must-win Premier League clashes against Everton, Southampton, West Ham and Ipswich, but given the severity of the incident, the ban could yet be extended.
The multiple suspensions may well hamper the 25-year-old’s chances of securing a move to a top club, with Arsenal especially not wanting to add ill-disciplined players to a squad that has already picking up five red cards this season.
Following the match, Cunha apologised to his teammates and fans, posting on Instagram: ‘In the end, another game where you guys did your best.
‘I couldn’t lose my head at the end. Sorry.’
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