Mario Lemina has been removed from his position as Wolverhampton Wanderers captain on a permanent basis.
On Monday night, the midfielder was involved in a post-match fracas after Wolves had succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at West Ham United.
As well as grappling with Hammers skipper Jarrod Bowen, Lemina was seen arguing with Toti Gomes and was involved in an angry confrontation with backroom staff member Shaun Derry.
Although Lemina has since taken to social media to apologise for his behaviour at the London Stadium, discussions behind the scenes have resulted in head coach Gary O'Neil choosing a different leader.
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"We are in a good spot"
As quoted by the club's official website, O'Neil has indicated that the change is viewed as a positive resolution by all concerned, the hope being that the 31-year-old can recapture the form that he showed during 2023-24.
Furthermore, he said that Lemina's successor Nelson Semedo is ready to take on the role ahead of an all-important Premier League showdown with Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.
O'Neil said: "The discussions with Mario were good. We get on very, very well. He's been a big part of what we've been able to do here, and we have a large amount of respect for each other. Sometimes you can come out of these discussions in a really good spot, and I think that we have.
"I have a lot of respect for Mario, and what he's still going to be able to do for us. When we get the best out of him on the pitch his level is so high, and he's still going to play a big part for us which he's extremely keen to do. He'll still be around the senior group that leads the team, but at this moment we feel it's best for Nelson to lead the group.
"The most important thing is us getting the best out of everybody – getting the best out of Mario Lemina week in, week out, the same for Nelson and the rest of the group.
"We dealt with it earlier in the week and the focus since has been purely on Ipswich, Mario's ready, Nelson's ready and the rest of the players are ready."
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A step-up for Semedo?
The decision to make Semedo the club captain comes at a time when the Portugal international has been linked with an exit at the end of the season.
There have since been conflicting reports regarding a potential stay, potentially a result of being handed more responsibility at Molineux.
While Craig Dawson was the obvious alternative, dropping out of the team for the previous game likely counted against the veteran centre-back.
Matt Doherty finds himself in a similar situation, the Republic of Ireland international a club legend but someone who is no longer one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Darren Plant
