The Manchester City midfielder completed a £53m move from Wolves ahead of the transfer deadline
Matheus Nunes made his first start for Man City last night following his £53m move from Wolves in the summer transfer window.
It was a controversial move that saw Nunes going absent from training in an attempt to push through the huge move that he hoped would see him playing Champions League football.
The deal happened, and the player’s dream of elite level competitions became a reality for the Portugal star as he took to the field against Red Star Belgrade. Our colleagues at the Manchester Evening News had this to say:
“He made his first City start after making his debut as a substitute against West Ham on Saturday. He played sublimely and showed some very neat touches in the centre of the park.
“At one stage, his quick footwork saw him charge into the box before winning a corner. He gave a quick fist pump to the crowd in celebration to mark a terrific shift for the Portuguese playmaker.”
Wolves fans are only too familiar with the potential of the midfielder, in glimpses, he was sensational in old gold. There were plenty of fans though who were happy to take the money for a player who was largely seen as an inconsistent luxury for what the club needed last season.
Reflecting on Nunes’ conduct in his final days as a Wolves player, boss Gary O’Neil has claimed the midfielder was badly advised and that the club were never going to change their stance unless they received their asking price.
Speaking to talkSPORT, O’Neil said: “It’s difficult for me to talk about now because Matheus is obviously at Manchester City. I don’t want to talk too much about Manchester City’s players. That wouldn’t have been how I chose to handle it.
“I know players nowadays have a lot of people advising them on how best to do things. As a club, we were always really clear on how the process would go. We had a valuation for Matheus. We also had things we needed to try and get in place to make sure we could replace him within the next few days.
“So that the offer we received, if it had got to the level we were happy with, we were always going to give Matheus our blessing and allow him to move on.
“But the way the player behaves in that situation doesn’t change that. It doesn’t bring the price down, it doesn’t make us more keen to do it or not do it. There’s a lot of things that go into a player moving clubs, especially at that time in the window. It’s not how I would have chosen to do it.
“But before that time with Matheus. A very talented boy. Good kid, works his socks off every single day for us. Hopefully the move goes well for him.”