Wolves took on Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend and won – but there was no sign of Daniel Podence in the matchday squad.
Julen Lopetegui named his squad, but Podence was nowhere to be seen at Molineux.
Initially, some felt as though Podence had surely picked up an injury in the lead up to the game.
But after the 1-0 win, Julen Lopetegui was asked about him and revealed the decision was actually tactical. Apparently there is no injury to the winger.
Lopetegui did not expand further.
It is certainly a very interesting situation.
Podence has probably enjoyed his best season at Wolves since joining from Olympiacos in January 2020.
He is still the club’s joint-top scorer this season with five goals, and he has been the team’s best chance creator as well.
It is therefore a big deal that he was left out of the matchday squad entirely against Spurs.
Surely, Podence could still have offered something from the bench.
It does beg the question if something has happened behind the scenes. Or perhaps Lopetegui is sending a message after his poor display against Liverpool.
Podence wasn’t good at all coming off the bench against the Reds. But to be fair, neither were any of the other players that came on.
It remains to be seen if he will miss more squads in the coming weeks.
If something has happened, then it might be a big chance for Pedro Neto to stake his claim again at Wolves.
Mysterious Daniel Podence situation might be a chance for Pedro Neto at Wolves
Podence has mainly operated from the left side this season.
That happens to be Neto’s preferred flank, and maybe this situation will now open the door for the 22-year-old.
He made his return against Spurs on Saturday, but it was clear the £50,000-a-week ace was lacking that match sharpness.
He only lasted 45 minutes and was replaced by Adama Traore at half-time.
Before his injury problems, Neto was without doubt Wolves’ best option to play on the left. At times in the 2019/20 season he was unplayable.
It would be fantastic to see him get back to those levels for Wolves. And Podence potentially being out of the picture would surely help.