WOLVES fired a parting blast at Manchester City bound midfielder Matheus Nunes and told their record £53million departure: We’re better off without you.
The Brazilian could have left with the best wishes of the Molineux club after Wolves raked in a club record fee for the 25-year-old – including 10 per cent of any future sell-on profit City might make on him.
However Nunes’ controversial decision to down tools and take strike action to try and force Wolves’ hand in the final week of the transfer window has left a sour taste at his former club.
And Pep Guardiola’s new arrival can expect a frosty reception when he returns to Molineux later this month with City.
Wolves’ Sporting director Matt Hobbs admitted: “I was disappointed with how it ended, it wasn’t necessary the stance Matheus took.
“We ended with a good resolution for everyone.
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“Matheus is a hugely talented player but would admit that last season he didn’t hit the heights he expected, but it was a tough season for the team, so maybe he wasn’t allowed to do that.”
Privately Wolves are seething that Nunes felt the need to put a gun to their head by refusing to train, after they backed him and invested a club record fee to land him.
They paid Sporting an initial £38million plus £4.2million in add-ons to give the Brazilian his big break in the Premier League and a chance to impress.
However, despite scoring Wolves’ Goal of the Season in April with a scorching volley against Chelsea last season, it was the only time Nunes found the net in 41 appearances.
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Now, Wolves have banked a rapid £10million-plus-profit and leveraged a cut-price deal to land City midfielder Tommy Doyle on loan with an option to buy for a bargain £5million – around £10million less than might have been expected.
Hobbs claims that bit of business has left Wolves stronger without Nunes.
He said: “We’ve lost a player with a lot of potential, a lot of ability, but the situation has led to us bringing a greater number of players in to improve the squad and provide competition in the group.
“The players here want competition in training, so while we’ve lost a good player, it’s made us a more competitive and better squad overall.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
