Gary O’Neil made the bold decision to strip Mario Lemina of his Wolves captaincy and hand the armband over to Nelson Semedo.
Wolves fans praised the decision to drop Lemina as captain following his actions in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Monday.
Lemina’s bust-up with Jarrod Bowen led to him taking his anger out on his Wolves teammates while he even squared up to first-team coach Shaun Derry.
The 31-year-old’s actions had consequences, and Gary O’Neil’s conversation with Lemina went surprisingly well, as he felt happy enough to step down.
The problem wasn’t stripping the Gabon of his captaincy but naming his successor as Nelson Semedo exposed another problem O’Neil has at Molineux.
Nelson Semedo of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Gary O'Neil, Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, interact after the draw in the Emirates FA Cup Third ...
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/WWFC via Getty Images
Gary O’Neil has a lack of leaders in his Wolves squad
Lemina congratulated Semedo on being named the new captain, although it was a decision that was questioned by most of the fanbase.
The 31-year-old right-back sees his contract expire in 2025, and whilst Wolves want to hand Semedo a new deal, the Portuguese star wasn’t many people’s first choice to take over but neither were most of the players.
Craig Dawson seemed like the most obvious replacement however, his form is declining as he approaches his 35th birthday and his deal also expires next summer.
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It just feels like O’Neil has a lack of leaders in the squad, and that has been an issue since Ruben Neves departed the club last year and before him, Joao Moutinho.
Neves captained Wolves for nearly four years, leading by example on the pitch, and understanding what it means to captain this special football club.
The Old Gold have never replaced his leadership qualities in the dressing room and this was a problem last term too, as even Max Kilman wasn’t seen as a proper leader.
Wolves must sign a leadership presence in January
With Wolves in 19th position and four points from safety heading into their clash against Ipswich, January can’t come quick enough.
Having conceded a league-high 38 goals this term, Wolves will sign a centre-back in January, and they must be someone who has experience of being a leader elsewhere.
Dawson offers that presence at the back but his performances of late, particularly in the defeat to Everton, have seen him decline and the Wanderers have suffered.
A physically imposing presence in defence and someone who shoulders responsibility is required in the transfer window.
Indeed, O’Neil lacks those two characteristics at the moment and signing the correct person as well as a player could be pivotal in their survival bid.
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