The Keen & Judah Show: The case for 'Super' Mario Lemina to be the next Wolves captain

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Following the departure of Max Kilman, Liam Keen and Nathan Judah assess the runners and riders as Gary O'Neil looks to appoint a new club captain.

Transcript

00:00We are back, baby. It is Shots TV Preview, channel 276. It is the Keith and Judah show.

00:11We are in beautiful Marbella, Spain, enjoying the sunshine. Right. Next up, Captain Mr.

00:19Liam Keane. We've had Dawson, we've had Cunha, we've had Nelson Samedo. What about give me

00:26a little bit of player of the season. Give me a little bit of Mario, Super Mario, Flamino.

00:33Again, alongside Dawson, a really, really strong contender to be club captain. We've

00:40seen at times in the last season where he dragged Wolves through games, didn't he? I

00:45mean, some really, really impressive performances. Popped up a few goals as well. Some really

00:50important goals, actually winning goals, equalizing goals in big games for Wolves. All of his

00:55goals really were quite important ones in the context of the fixtures they had and the

01:00time in which he scored them. So really important, I think, for how Wolves play, how Wolves want

01:06to dictate the game, how Wolves want to dictate the tempo moving forward. Him and Gerald Gomez

01:10in midfield were really, really important for the vast majority of the season. And also

01:15a small point, Max Killman for Wolves was consistent and was never injured, was always

01:23playing. Mario Lamina very rarely was missing for Wolves. They had the odd thing here and

01:28there, obviously the compassionate leave for his father passing away. But aside from that,

01:32he was very rarely unavailable. He was always there ready to play, even when Wolves were

01:39struggling. And he didn't end the season particularly well for Wolves, like many of the players,

01:43but he had a wonderful season overall. And that puts him right up there as a top contender,

01:50doesn't it? There's a lot of people calling for Mario Lamina to be the next captain. Again,

01:56similar to Kunja. And this was really the case last summer as well, when Killman did

01:59get the captaincy. Lamina was certainly up there as an option at that time. There were

02:04question marks, I think, internally from the club as well as externally with supporters.

02:09Is he too emotional at times? Is he wears his heart on his sleeve too much at times?

02:14I don't think he does it to the same extent as Mateus Kunja. I do think he is more measured

02:19than Mateus Kunja. I don't want to criticise Kunja, but he's very much an out there personality.

02:25But Lamina is also, and has had his moments as well. I wouldn't go as far as saying toys

02:31out the pram because he's not that kind of character, but definitely very emotional.

02:34Very, you know, makes it clear how he's feeling. And he feels every moment of the journey with

02:40you because he's the person who desperately well for the supporters. Sometimes you do

02:45need a level head as well. So it's whether he can find that balance. And if he can find

02:48that balance, he's a great option. But he's up there with a couple of the players as really,

02:54really good, strong contenders to be captain.

02:58Yeah. Mario Lamina has said himself, hasn't he, that he perhaps was not particularly mature

03:06at Southampton when he was there. This is his second go. He said he had unfinished business

03:11with the Premier League when he came to Wolves. And I think he's a standard character. I think

03:16he's been magnificent. And like you say, the players look towards him. You look at someone

03:21like Acuna off the dressing room, Lamina is exactly that same character on the pitch.

03:26The players look to him. Gary O'Neill looks to him. The fans look to him. And I think

03:30that's why at 30 years old, he's probably your perfect age. I do like someone in the

03:34centre of the park, like you say, who's going to be the first name on the team sheet every

03:37single week. Reliability, continuity, but also someone who I think, yes, he would have

03:44to work on a couple of things, as you say, Liam, but giving him the armband, I think

03:48would be a huge honour for him. And I think he would adapt and he would take on that mantra

03:53and enjoy the challenge, enjoy adapting his game slightly, not changing it completely

03:58because look, Gary O'Neill said, and we've all watched that, that Mario Lamina was the

04:02star of the show last year, especially in that first half of the season. But I feel

04:07like we all felt it when, you know, when his father passed away and he had to take himself

04:11out of the spotlight. And when he came back, the outpouring of emotion, I think he really

04:16appreciated it as well. He said in the messages as well, you know, with the City of Wolverhampton,

04:20I think he was touched. I feel just genuinely that there is a real pride for Mario Lamina

04:27when he pulls on that Wolves shirt, that he wants to be here and someone who I think would

04:32be a massively strong contender and someone who would adapt and really take it on himself

04:36to be a really good captain, if he was given the nod from Gary O'Neill.

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