Four Premier League relegation-fighting players that have earned a summer move
It’s set to be a four-way fight for survival in the 2024-25 Premier League relegation battle.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton are all hoping to avoid the drop to the Championship.
But which players have turned it up a notch and played at a higher level than their peers? We’ve picked out one star from each relegation-fighting team that has earned a move away to a big club this summer.
Matheus Cunha (Wolves)
From when Wolves were rotting in last place under Gary O’Neil to now having a real shot at survival with Vitor Pereira at the helm, Matheus Cunha’s output has been unwavering this season.
The Brazilian has scored 13 goals and provided four assists in the Premier League, while his numbers in many statistical categories rival the division’s best.
Cunha has completed 49 of his 101 take-ons — the seventh-most in the league, and an impressive 49% success rate. Often playing as a second striker behind Jorgen Strand Larsen, Cunha has created 12 big chances — the eighth-most in the Premier League in 2024-25.
He has missed just two big chances, and has often found the back of the net the hard way. Only three of his goals have been big chances, while he is also yet to score a penalty for Wolves this season.
Wolves will have little to no chance of holding on to Cunha if they are relegated. After paying £44million for the 25-year-old in 2023, he seems ready to take a step up to a more competitive team in the top-flight. But fortunately for Wolves they should get a fair bit of money for Cunha after his new contract in February.
Honourable mention: Rayan Ait-Nouri
Liam Delap (Ipswich)
Building on a solid season for Hull City in 2023-24, Liam Delap has enjoyed the best form of his career during his first season at Ipswich.
The 22-year-old has scored 10 goals and provided two assists in the Premier League for the newly promoted side, who have struggled in front of goal.
The Tractor Boys have netted just 26 goals in 27 league games this term, meaning Delap has contributed to a staggering 46% of his side’s goals.
Delap has won five points for Ipswich this season. This may not sound like a lot, but when you consider that Kieran McKenna’s side have only tallied 17 points in the league this season, it puts Delap’s contributions into perspective. Without his goals, Ipswich would be languishing on 12 points in 19th place — 10 away from safety.
With Delap being linked to multiple “Big Six” clubs this year, it would be a near-impossible task for Ipswich to hold onto their star man if they are demoted.
Honourable mention: Leif Davies
Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester)
For over eight years, Wilfred Ndidi has been Leicester’s midfield anchor, and the 2024-25 campaign has been no different.
The Nigerian international has got the job done in both boxes for his side this season. Ndidi has registered the most assists (four), as well as the most tackles per 90 (1.9) for Leicester in the Premier League in 2024-25.
While he has experienced the highs and lows of football with the Foxes, including FA Cup success in 2021 and relegation to the Championship in 2023, Ndidi has stuck by his side for the last decade.
But, with reported interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid and AS Monaco in January, it may be a matter of time until the defensive midfielder earns a deserved step up to a competitive European club.
Honourable mention: Mads Hermansen
Mateus Fernandes (Southampton)
In a season where there has been little to marvel when watching Southampton, Mateus Fernandes has been Saints’ bright point in the middle of the park.
Operating as a central midfielder in Ivan Juric’s 3-4-3 setup, Fernandes has logged the second-most goal contributions in the league for Southampton this season (three).
As their best playmaker, the Portuguese has created the most chances (24), as well as accruing the most Expected Assists (2.6) for his side.
Southampton, who are on track to finish the season on 12 points, have been a mess from top to bottom this season. It’s hard to pick out one player to dub “the most deserving of a transfer” but, at 20 years old, Fernandes has shown enough in a struggling side to earn minutes at another Premier League club next season.
Honourable mention: Tyler Dibling
