'I'm wanted by Mikel Arteta and Man Utd - I love Arsenal icon even though he made me cry' - The Mirror

Arsenal are reportedly looking at bringing in a highly-rated striker in the January transfer window, with Manchester United potentially providing competition for the signing

Mikel Arteta is reportedly said to have an interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha - who idolised a former Arsenal star.

The Gunners are currently sat third in the Premier League table, nine points behind league leaders Liverpool, despite an impressive first half of the 2024/25 season. However, one key position in which Arteta is noticeably lacking is an out-and-out striker.

Attacking midfielder Kai Havertz currently leads the pack in terms of league goals for the north London side, with seven from 17 games, while now-injured winger Bukayo Saka closely follows on five. That's a far cry from the 17 that leading goalscorer Mohamed Salah has netted for Liverpool.

Gabriel Jesus has struggled to find his footing under Arteta since arriving in a £45million deal from Manchester City in July 2022, with the 27-year-old scoring just 25 goals in 92 outings for Arsenal - five of which have come in the current campaign. And should Arsenal have hopes of lifting their first Premier League trophy since 2004, they may wish to invest in a proven striker to help them on their way.

As reported by the Telegraph, Arsenal are reportedly exploring the prospect of bringing in Wolves talisman Cunha in the January window, although a successful transfer could prove costly. A report earlier this month claimed that the Molineux hierarchy would only be willing to sell the Brazilian for a price tag of around £58m, with Cunha still under contract until July 2027.

The 25-year-old has impressed in the Premier League this year despite Wolves' 17th-place position in the table - netting 10 goals in 19 matches. Cunha has already been compared to the likes of Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp in the past by pundit Ashley Williams, who said after his goal against Fulham earlier this season: "He’s such a strong runner, what a touch that is, a couple of touches actually.

"Great pass [from Lemina], that’s a sublime pass. This is Dennis Bergkamp-esque. Two touches and a finish, that’s what you want to see when you’re watching a game of football." However, Arsenal are not the only club thought to be interested in Cunha, with Manchester United also said to be after the Brazilian's signature - also struggling for a natural goal-scorer at present.

Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has also underlined his intentions of keeping Cunha at the Molineux, despite reported interest from numerous clubs. He kicked off his professional footballing career at Swiss side Sion in 2017, before being snapped up by RB Leipzig the following year.

After two years with the Bundesliga challengers, he switched allegiance to Hertha BSC in 2020, before making the move to Atletico Madrid a year later. Cunha enjoyed a loan spell with Wolves in January 2023, before the Midlands club made the move permanent that summer - and he has continued to impress ever since.

In terms of international football, Cunha has also represented Brazil on 11 occasions, and while he has previously noted that compatriot Ronaldinho is his idol, Arsenal legend Lukas Podolski is also a player that he has looked up to in the past - despite making him cry following Germany's performances at the 2014 World Cup.

Speaking to Bundesliga.com in 2019, Cunha explained: "Ronaldinho is undoubtedly a great idol. It's hard to talk about him because he's my friend. He's definitely an amazing person who treated me very well. I wish him all the best and he deserves it. In terms of players from the Bundesliga, I like Podolski very much.

"He destroyed the Brazil national team when he went there and became world champion, and I cried a lot at that time. But he seems to have a lot of affection from Brazilians even to this day. He's always playing around and joking with Flamengo. I believe Podolski is a German player who has a great personality on and off the pitch."

Brazil were famously humiliated by Germany in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, sent packing from the tournament following a 7-1 defeat to the European powerhouses on home soil. Thomas Muller opened the scoring for Germany 11 minutes into the fixture, before Miroslav Klose doubled down 12 minutes later.

Toni Kroos bagged a brace with goals in the 24th and 26th minutes, before Sami Khedira made it 5-0 in the 29th. Andre Schurrle scored two of his own in the second half to see Brazil comfortably through to the final of the tournament, a flawless performance if not for Oscar's 90th-minute consolation goal at the death of the game.

Germany went on to lift the World Cup that year, following a 1-0 win over Argentina in the competition's final. Mario Gotze made the difference in that game, scoring in extra time to secure the coveted trophy for his nation.

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