A telling few months await several players at Wolves, including captain Nelson Semedo, who sees his contract expire in the summer.
Semedo has been a regular starter for Wolves under Vitor Pereira, with the Portuguese international flourishing as a right wing-back.
The experienced full-back has made 31 appearances in the Premier League, assisting four times, while showcasing his qualities as a leadership presence.
The 31-year-old is hugely important to Wolves, as explained by Pereira wanting to keep Semedo with the star currently set to leave Molineux in the coming months.
In what has been a successful campaign on a personal note, the former Barcelona man has now explained what he didn’t expect to happen this term.
Nelson Semedo didn’t expect to replace Mario Lemina as captain
Ahead of the summer transfer window, Semedo has commanded interest from Benfica, offering a chance for him to link back up with Bruno Lage.
But in his position as captain and how important he is to the squad, Wolves fans want Semedo to stay, with talks set to be held over his future.
In December, Gary O’Neil stripped Mario Lemina of his captaincy after the embarrassing scenes that broke out at West Ham, and the Englishman replaced him with Semedo.
Although he was seen as a natural successor to Lemina, who joined Galatasaray in February, the right-back recalls how he was shocked when he was given the armband.
When discussing Wolves’ record-breaking run, Semedo told Wolves official: “It’s been amazing, to be honest. I was not expecting to be the captain.
“Obviously, in the beginning, even though I was one of the senior guys on the team, I was here with Mario and he was a very good captain, and we were doing the [leadership] things together, me and him, but I was not expecting him to leave, and that’s why I was not expecting to be captain.
“But I’m enjoying a lot. I think the guys trust me and I’m doing my best. I think I still have a lot of things to improve as a captain, but obviously I’m proud to be captain of Wolves. It’s a dream come true, and I’m enjoying the moment.”
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Semedo’s incredible 2024/25 campaign in numbers
Whether or not his comments about captaining Wolves being a ‘dream come true’ suggests he’s going to stay at Molineux remains to be seen.
But, Semedo is an incredible talent and someone who would be difficult to replace if he leaves the club this summer.
Although Semedo is reportedly on ‘eye-watering’ money, the player is worth his weight in gold as he’s averaged 3.8 balls recovered per game and an 81% pass completion while creating three big chances.
In an ideal world, Wolves would renew his contract, and he would continue living his dream as captain.
However, Pereira is placed in a complicated position, as it seems the club want to reduce the wage bill of the squad, and that means parting ways with their talented wing-back.