I saw Wolves captain curse strike again – Vitor Pereira must step in before it's too late

It’s been a chaotic few months for Wolves’ captaincy armband.

From one player’s arm to another’s, the letter C etched into fabric has exchanged owners far more times - and seen far more drama - than it should during any season, let alone during one which the club is desperately fighting to avoid relegation.

Squad unity is paramount during campaigns such as these but Wolves have struggled for cohesion, not least because of the lack of a standout leader amongst the group. Discipline has also been a major issue with key players punished for losing their heads in high-pressure situations; inexcusable at any point, especially given the difficult position Wanderers currently find themselves in.

What makes matters worse is many of these moments of madness have come from players supposedly meant to be leading the group as captain. Skippers should be setting an example and reining in poor behaviour from teammates but they’ve not even been able to control themselves.

Cunha lets Wolves down

Saturday’s devastating penalty shootout defeat to AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup fifth round was overshadowed by an act of insanity from Wolves talisman Matheus Cunha. The Brazilian had scored a 30-yard wonder goal to bring the scores level at 1-1 earlier in the game but was sent off deep in extra time following an unjustifiable scuffle with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez.

Donning the captain’s armband at the time, Cunha snapped at Kerkez as he swung and missed the left-back’s face with his fist and kicked out before knocking him to ground with a blatant head-butt. There was an audible gasp in the press box and amongst the crowd at the Vitality Stadium as Cunha failed to control his emotions and was shown a straight red card by referee Sam Barrott.

The unprofessionalism didn’t end there as Cunha refused to leave the field and had to be escorted down the tunnel by his teammates. He may have been a hero in the second half but he was a villain when Wolves needed him most; Cunha clearly didn’t learn his lesson after narrowly avoiding punishment for an aggressive confrontation with an Ipswich Town staff member in December.

Is the Wolves captaincy cursed?

It’s not the first time this season the Old Gold have fallen foul from the actions of a captain as Mario Lemina left former boss Gary O’Neil very little choice but to strip the midfielder of the armband in December.

Lemina had been involved in an intense full-time fracas with opposition players following the 2-1 defeat at West Ham United, even turning to shoving and insulting his own teammates when they tried to intervene. O’Neil was stunned and took the decision to name Nelson Semedo as the club’s new captain just a few days later.

The armband has even seemed cursed in the cases of positive leaders as Ruben Neves transferred away to Saudi Arabia following his first full season as skipper and Maximilian Kilman departed for West Ham United less than 12 months after taking over the duties.

And now Semedo, who has been a very good servant for Wolves throughout recent seasons, could be the next to depart just a few months after earning the captaincy as he’s expected to leave when his contract expires on June 30. Portuguese outlet Record has reported Semedo is the “main target” for Benfica this summer and the right-back is said to be keen on the move.

Wolves just can’t seem to catch a break with their captains. Wanderers fortunately have a five-point gap to the relegation zone as it stands and are favourites to escape the drop but the threat will very much be back next season if changes aren’t made quickly.

Head coach Vitor Pereira needs to intervene to ensure the captaincy struggles don’t carry over into 2025/26. Whether it be convincing Semedo to stay put or signing a proven leader, Pereira must fix this growing problem as a matter of urgency.