Brazilian winger Jhon Arias has been under fire from Fluminense fans after his slow start at Wolverhampton.
Seen as the main figure at Fluminense before the move, Arias pushed to play in Europe and Wolves secured his transfer.
However, the winger has not enjoyed the best of beginnings in England. This weekend’s match marked his fifth straight defeat with the team, and he has been relegated to a place on the bench.
Arias turned 28 the day after Wolves’ 3-1 defeat to Leeds United. It was during those birthday celebrations online that Fluminense used their official channels to congratulate him, prompting a wave of ironic messages from their supporters, as relayed by BolaVip in Brazil.
On social media, after the club wished Arias a happy birthday, replies were filled with sarcasm.
One fan commented that the forward had received “a big present, fulfilling the dream of sitting on the bench for a team that concedes four goals every game.”
Another added that their “idol is living the dream of being relegated in Europe while our team is still alive in three competitions without him.”
There were also digs aimed at the Fluminense board for allowing the €22m move in July. One user remarked: “He’s there with the president’s facilitation, of course. After all, who should fight to keep a star with a freshly renewed contract, right?”
The next steps for Arias at the Molineux are clear: he needs minutes and impact to turn around a start that has already been targeted by criticism both in Brazil and England.
