New Delhi: Mario Lemina has been terminated as the captain of the Wolverhampton Wanderers after talks with manager Gary O’Neil. The 31-year-old will be replaced by Nelson Semedo as Wolves head into their clash against Ipswich. The decision came following Lemina’s altercation with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen after the final whistle was blown after their 2-1 defeat on Monday.
Sitting at the second last of the Premier League, O’Neil’s problems have only been piling up, with the latest. Having handed the captaincy armband to Lemina this summer, O’Neil announced that a decision was made for Nelson to lead the group from here on. O’Neil noted that after the altercation, both O’Neil and himself had a conversation and decided the best way forward for Wolves.
🚨BREAKING: Mario Lemina has agreed, mutually with Wolves, to step down as captain. Semedo is the new captain 🇵🇹
[@LiamKeen_Star 🥇] #wolves #wwfc pic.twitter.com/hrFpzNn1KG
— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊™️ (@Wolfpackwwfc) December 13, 2024
Speaking about their game against West Ham, the 41-year-old manager condemned the post-match scenes despite acknowledging that there are lots of emotions involved in a game. Still, O’Neil noted that Lemina will be important in the squads, and the Wolves will perform better as Semedo takes over.
Though it was a tough conversation to be made, the English manager noted that they had gained much more from this conversation. Most importantly, he noted that Lemina will still be highly involved in the decision-making process, just like other senior players. Wolves will now play Ipswich on Saturday, with O’Neil receiving the support of the chairman, Jeff Shi, this week.
Gary O’Neil talks about his future at Wolves
O’Neil felt he still had a lot to give at the Molineux, and there was a reason he had managed to retain his job at the Wolves camp. The former Bournemouth manager had noted that despite many getting linked with his job, he was little concerned about such rumours. Having signed a four-year contract with the side in August, O’Neil noted his only concern was the team’s performance.
He further said that he wanted the team to perform well, and despite all the noise in the media, he was focused on his job and hoped that he could maximize his side’s performance to the best of his ability. O’Neil concluded that from the Ipswich game to the end of January, a lot of the season’s progress will be clear for the Wolves side.
With just two wins in the season, Wolves are just four points above the bottom-placed Southampton and are now staring at possible relegation if they finish below 16. Wolves need to turn around the glaring goal-difference.
Nelson Semedo has been named as the new captain of Wolverhampton Wolves after Mario Lemina got embroiled in altercation during loss to West Ham. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
