Arsenal's striker problem could finally be solved amid 'record-breaking' Wolves claim

Wolves were the Premier League’s second highest spenders in the winter transfer window but their most important business was arguably away from incomings entirely.

Vitor Pereira worked his magic throughout January and into the early days of February, securing two important new additions to his defence as well as one fresh midfield member.

The £16.6 million signing of Emmanuel Agbadou from Stade de Reims kicked things off, the 11-time Ivory Coast international slotting straight into Pereira’s back three. At 27 years of age, the central defender is in his prime and has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, completing all 90 minutes in the past four English top-tier matches.

Two more acquisitions were completed on deadline day as Marshall Munetsi and Nasser Djiga were announced just over an hour after the 11pm cut-off. Munetsi, a central midfielder also from Reims, signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £17 million. Djiga, on the other hand, was purchased for around £10 million from Serbian club Red Star Belgrade.

Munetsi was a staple in Reims’ midfield for five successive seasons and was recently named the man of the match in a 1-1 draw away at French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Djiga, meanwhile, played every possible minute for Red Star in the Champions League earlier this campaign. The 22-year-old was targeted by Premier League dark horses Nottingham Forest.

Cunha contract details emerge in boost for Arsenal

As much as the new additions will help a great deal, the most vital piece of business Wolves finalised was undoubtedly getting Matheus Cunha to pen to paper on a new contract. Wolves’ talisman was the subject of intense interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest but the Old Gold managed to tie him down on a new long-term deal.

Cunha staying is a huge boost in helping Wolves in their efforts to escape relegation this season as the Brazil international has scored 11 goals and made four assists in 23 Premier League matches so far this term. Cunha is well ahead of Jorgen Strand Larsen (7 goals) as the top scorer, while only Rayan Ait-Nouri (5 assists) has better creative numbers.

It’s unlikely to be sunshine and roses forever, however, as new details emerging about Cunha’s contract suggest he won’t be at Molineux for anywhere near as long as his new four-and-a-half year deal suggests – even with him now being the club’s highest earner ahead of Pablo Sarabia.

A release clause was always an inevitably to guard Cunha against a potential drop down to the Championship but the nature of said clause was a sticking point throughout negotiations. As it turns out, Wolves won’t even have to be relegated for the clause to come into effect – a huge boost for interested clubs.

The Telegraph reports Cunha will be allowed to leave the Old Gold from July as long as bids of €75 million (£62.5m) are received, a figure that would smash Wolves’ record sale. That means the likes of United, Forest and Arsenal wouldn’t have Wolves standing in their way of securing the 25-year-old’s services.

Arsenal, still hanging on in the Premier League title fight, have struggled with attacking depth this season. Bukayo Saka being sidelined for several months and Gabriel Jesus missing the rest of the season are the two headline stories but it’s been clear for a long while that the Gunners are missing a proper centre-forward.

Cunha, many would argue, isn’t quite that either. But what the Brazilian does offer is more of a direct goal threat compared to Kai Havertz, who is currently leading the line for Arsenal but has missed 15 big chances this term – the third most in the division. The Gunners are likely to consider other targets too but the news of Cunha’s release clause could grab Mikel Arteta’s attention.