Matheus Cunha and Everton transfer revelation emerges amid Wolves woes
Everton wanted to sign Matheus Cunha while Frank Lampard was in charge at Goodison Park, according to Paul Joyce.
Joyce reported in The Times (17 January) that Lampard chased Cunha during his stint on Merseyside but the club were unable to afford the £44million fee demanded by Atletico Madrid.
The Brazilian ultimately joined Wolves in 2023 on a loan-to-buy deal, which became permanent at the start of last season and he has since scored 24 goals in 56 games for the Toffees’ relegation rivals.
The Times journalist also mentioned the subsequent availability of Ipswich Town frontman Liam Delap, whose eight league goals rank him comfortably above any Everton player this season.
“Cunha was a player the former Everton manager Frank Lampard wanted but at £44million was too expensive,” Joyce said.
“While Delap moved to Portman Road for £20million from Manchester City in the summer.”
Everton miss a goalscorer like Matheus Cunha
Right now, Everton are desperate for a player who can lead the line and score the goals to navigate their way out of relegation danger.
David Moyes’ options so far consist of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto, both of whom have been linked with moves away in January and have just three league goals between them this season.
Dwight McNeil and Iliman Ndiaye each have three and still lead the scoring charts for the Toffees in the Premier League, which is simply nowhere near good enough. Whether that’s predominantly down to a lack of creativity or a lack of firepower is what Moyes needs to quickly pick up from the Sean Dyche era.
By contrast, 25-year-old Cunha has 10 goals to his name in league matches despite Wolves’ similar predicament; the same fortunes are being suffered by Ipswich, though Delap, 21, has still netted his eight.
Everton’s paltry goal return this campaign (15) is superior only to Southampton (13), who have lost 17 of their 21 league games – it’s not an ideal comparison by any stretch. Moyes knows the task at hand, and so potentially do the Friedkins in the remainder of the transfer window.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville disagree over the outcome of Sunday’s game v Tottenham.
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