Gary O’Neil’s Wolves enjoy ‘big boost’ before Premier League clash vs Arsenal

Gary O’Neil’s Wolves have enjoyed a ‘big boost’ ahead of their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Saturday, with Matheus Cunha back fit.

Wolves travel to the Emirates with both sides playing their first match of the new top-flight season as O’Neil’s side hope for a shock result over in north London.

Cunha, Wolves’ most important player, suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season and the club’s fans have finally received a long-awaited fitness update.

O’Neil has confirmed that Cunha will be in the squad – and while Arsenal remain the firm favourites to pick up three points – it’s still fantastic news for his side.

‘Cunha is fine,’ the Wolves boss said. ‘He’s raring to go. He’s worked hard to get back and he’s feeling very good.

‘He’s had a great week of work, he’s trained every day on the grass. There’s no concerns around him, which is a big boost for us.’

Brazil international Cunha, 25, conjured up 12 Premier League goals and seven assists across 32 top-flight games last season.

Cunha scored when Wolves last played Arsenal at the Emirates, which was in December 2023 as the Gunners won 2-1.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has revealed that he’s held a special team meeting with his players ahead of their Premier League opener with Wolves.

‘Everybody was talking about the same thing – that we’re not going to stop here and we want much more,’ Arteta said.

‘We know how we want to evolve and how the players can evolve. Those margins are huge and we have to fill them.’

Arsenal have narrowly missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City for the last two seasons in a row.

The Gunners have not lifted the top-flight trophy since the 2003-04 season under legendary manager Arsene Wenger.