The acquisition of Brazilian attacker Cunha from Atletico Madrid was confirmed on Christmas Eve, more than a week before the January transfer window opens, which Hobbs believes will help the player and make a statement to other targets.
With Cunha now afforded a period of time to settle into his new surroundings, Hobbs and staff behind the scenes are continuing to work “flat out” to bolster Lopetegui’s squad further, ahead of a hugely important second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
On securing one of Lopetegui’s key targets
“When a manager comes in and is so strong, with so much belief in a player, it’s important for the club to ensure the deal gets done to show the manager that the club is behind him. It felt an important one. It’s been about getting that first piece of the puzzle, and from day one that was Matheus.
“He’s a player we liked before, but someone we didn’t think would be achievable for us in our current position. Now it’s a bit of a statement, so other players we’re talking to, who may look at our league position, are now looking at the manager, and once they see the first signing, it gives them faith and belief in the project that Julen and I spoke about.”
On the timing being crucial
“We’ve got the first one done early, so he’s ready for 1st January and we’re not missing vital games in January. After the Arsenal game I sat down with Julen to talk about players and strategies, and timings were important to him, so the club have done well to get it done early. It allows the player and family some time to settle, so come January it’s just football.
“It’s the Premier League, the toughest in the world, it’s the most physical, technical and tactical, which makes it the hardest. We have to allow him time, but he will have settled. It’s about getting used to the pace of the league, but he’s athletic, he’s explosive, so he has the physical capabilities to play in the Premier League, and as a Brazilian number nine, he comes with high technical ability too.”
On bringing genuine quality
“We really delved into him as a player. I spent a lot of time with him on Wednesday and he’s so hungry and the way he talks, with such hunger, I think he feels he has a point to prove. He’s a Brazilian international and I don’t know too many forwards who have played for Brazil who haven’t been top level players. At his age – not at his prime yet – and the hunger he has, he’s a great asset for the club going forward.”
On being the right character for the group
“He speaks perfect English, so settling in is going to be easier for him, and the same for his partner. Settling in is always a slight concern, especially with overseas players and in January, if they can’t grasp the language, it can be tough, but we don’t have that problem.
“Him joining coincided with the Christmas party we arranged for the players and their families at West Midlands Safari Park, so it was the perfect opportunity for him to be welcomed by Julen and the whole group, but also for his partner and child to meet the other families, so it made it a perfect first day really.
“He’s young, he’s hungry and he’s very personable. He spoke French to ‘Bouba’, he spoke German to Hee Chan, English, Spanish and Portuguese – I heard him speak five languages to five different players. Intelligent people make intelligent footballers, which is important for Julen, with the different roles all the players will be asked to do during specific matches.”
On the period before 1st January
“We’ll try and get one or two more done before 1st January, but when you’re trying to take players from other teams, they have games now, and they need replacements, so it’s not always easy. We’re working on two more, but the head coach made it clear that the players here are also important and will form the nucleus of the team because there’s a lot of talent.
“Our league position isn’t based on the talent of the squad, there’s a huge amount of talent here, it’s just about adding players to help us be competitive in certain positions. Not all the answers are in the window, Julen believes in the squad, but we’re trying to find the balance for a bit of quality and depth.
“After that it is about upping our intensity on the pitch, competing all over it and harnessing that desire to win.”
On doing business quietly
“Of the targets we’ve identified, not one’s been mentioned publicly. In football, it’s inevitable that stuff gets out when you get to a certain point, but we don’t put players in the public domain. We do our work quietly and Julen has been clear that’s how he works, so it’s perfectly aligned. Anything which comes out won’t be from us.
“We want to get our work done early. We don’t want to waste January. We’ll be working flat out across Christmas, going into the new year, trying to get one or two more done soon for sure.”
