Wolverhampton Wanderers news from BirminghamLive as Gary O’Neil examines the end of the transfer window
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil says Matheus Nunes’ decision not to train makes no difference to Wolves in their negotiations with Manchester City.
Nunes was sold for £53m just before the September 1 transfer deadline, with Wolves initially rejecting a lower offer from Man City.
Nunes pulled the plug before the deal was reached, but while O’Neil says that’s not how he would handle things, he’s been reluctant to criticize the land industry for 25 years.
But he also made it clear that Nunes’ actions did not force the Wolves to accept the trade offer.
When asked about Nunes’ situation in an interview with talkSPORT, the manager said:
“It’s difficult for me to talk about it now because Matheus is at Manchester City and I don’t want to talk too much about the Manchester City players.
“That was not the way I chose to handle the situation.
I know that today’s players have a lot of people advising them on the best way to do things and how to get the job done.
As a club, we have always been very clear about how this process will work.
We have assessed Matheus and we also have work to do to ensure that we can replace him in the coming days.
“So if the offer we receive reaches a level that we are happy with, we will still give our blessing to Matheus and allow him to move on.
But the way the player behaves in this situation does not change that, nor does it lower the price.
“It doesn’t make us want to do it or not do it anymore.
There is a lot that needs to be done for a player to change clubs, especially at this point in the transfer window.
No, I wouldn’t choose to do that.
But before this period with Matheus….
.he was a very talented boy, a good boy and worked hard every day for us.
So I hope this decision will be good for him.
Nunes spoke out in a social media post, stating:
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“The time has come to say goodbye to the club that has allowed me to play in the best league in the world and for whom I have always admired and respected deeply.
Thank you to Wolves, the staff, my teammates and especially the extraordinary fans, for their unwavering and heart-warming support and enthusiasm.
“I really appreciate the meaning of the word commitment and this is something that has always been present in my daily attitude throughout the past year and will forever be engraved in my memory.
I could have a lot to say about the real reason why I left and how it all happened, but I will just say that the fans deserve all the respect, affection and appreciation.
My deep admiration.
“Everything happens for a reason, no matter how confusing it may seem at first glance, I firmly believe that the future will clarify it and perhaps by then, everyone without exception will understand the reason for the following troubled week.
Thank you Wolves fans, I will never forget you.
Nunes joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon for £42m a year ago.
His departure from City comes as part of a busy final two days of the transfer window, in which Wolves spent around £30m to sign Tommy Doyle, Enso Gonzalez, Santiago Bueno and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde
Wolves return to Premier League action on Saturday when they host Liverpool.