Wolves are taking on Italian club Como in a pre-season friendly tonight – and one new player, of course, is wearing the captain’s armband following Max Kilman’s exit.
Wanderers are looking to get their pre-season off to a winning start, following some intense days of training.
Gary O’Neil has been putting the players through their paces in the blistering heat on the south coast of Spain, and is looking to prepare them all as best he can for that first Premier League game against Arsenal.
The three new faces, Rodrigo Gomes, Pedro Lima and Jorgen Strand Larsen are all in Marbella and have all made good first impressions.
One man who is not there, of course, is Max Kilman, after he was recently sold to West Ham United.
That throws up a big question; who will be Wolves’ next captain? Tonight, the club may have just dropped a big hint.
Mario Lemina named captain for Wolves’ friendly with Como
There are quite a few potential candidates in terms of the next captain at Wolves.
Craig Dawson is the most experienced player in the squad and is known for being very professional, authoritative and someone who leads by example.
Matheus Cunha is a very lively character who everyone at Wolves loves and respects.
Some have also suggested the likes of Nelson Semedo or Matt Doherty to be the next skipper.
And of course, many fans have tipped Mario Lemina to be the next captain – and Wolves appear to have hinted the Gabon midfielder will succeed Kilman.
Nathan Judah has just reported on X that Lemina is the man wearing the armband for the friendly with Como tonight.
We will see if this will be the case in other pre-season games, but it does feel somewhat significant.
Lemina would be the perfect choice
So if this does mean that Lemina will be the permanent next captain, then it is a great choice.
Lemina is a loud character, but someone who also leads by example on the pitch. At times last season, he was absolutely inspirational, playing in many different roles and always running his socks off.
He has the respect of everyone in the dressing room, and he has the adoration of the fans.
Lemina also speaks very well in interviews and press conferences, and he just feels like a great choice to succeed Kilman given his leadership credentials and popularity.
We will see if he’ll be the permanent choice, but for him to wear the armband in the first game does feel ominous.