On Wednesday night, Wolves’ 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United was overshadowed by the actions of Mario Lemina.
It’s been a tumultuous campaign for Lemina, who was stripped of his captaincy after being involved in a brawl against West Ham.
The 31-year-old didn’t lead by example in that moment and hasn’t across the season with his performances leaving much to be desired.
Lemina has suffered a huge fall from grace, going from being one of Gary O’Neil’s most important players to now possibly never playing for the club again.
This is because Lemina told Pereira he wanted to leave Wolves before their clash against Newcastle, refusing to play for the club.
In a disgusting turn of events for the player, the actions of the Gabon international have now been compared to a former Wolves star.
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Mario Lemina actions compared to when Matheus Nunes exited Wolves
Over the years, there have been a few examples of players being petulant, and one such instance involved midfielder Matheus Nunes.
Following his only campaign at Molineux in 2022/23, the Portuguese midfielder pushed for a transfer out of the club amid interest from Manchester City.
He even went to extreme lengths to seal a move, with Nunes refusing to train for Wolves towards the end of the transfer window.
Man City ended up signing Nunes for £53m on deadline day but Wolves supporters will only remember him for how he turned his back on the club, with journalist Nathan Judah now comparing the Lemina incident to this.
“I don’t think you can defend that at all. And unfortunately, Mario Lemina’s career, Wolves’ career will always be remembered for this. I can’t look at it in a light of positivity,” Judah said on the E&S podcast.
“I’m not going to say he’s Matheus Nunes type. But I tell you what, he’s not far off it because he’s shown his true colours here. He came to Wolves to almost recreate himself.
“He knew that he messed up at Fulham. He knew he wanted to prove a few people wrong. And unfortunately, he’s showing his true colours.
“And that’s what he’s done tonight. And it’s disgusting for me. I’m sorry.”
Lemina must exit Wolves before the transfer deadline
There are certain ways to go about exiting a football club and refusing to play is perhaps the worst thing a player can do.
With fans feeling incredibly angry at Lemina, there is no way back for him at Molineux and luckily, there is significant interest in him.
Pereira’s former club Al Shabab have approached to sign Lemina and he’s also wanted by Turkish side Galatasaray.
There is still plenty of time for the international star to seal a move to another club but Wolves will want it to happen sooner rather than later.
They’ll just be hoping that Lemina’s behaviour – refusing to play in a relegation-battling team – doesn’t put off any potential buyers.