Leaders come in many forms. The common factor as far as Wolverhampton Wanderers are concerned is that lots of them have departed in the past year or so.
Last summer, the club lost Conor Coady on loan, the archetypal captain who led the team on and off the field; John Ruddy, the senior professional who provided vital guidance at the training ground despite losing his place in the team; and Romain Saiss, the battle-hardened Moroccan international who laid down the law when it was required.
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This summer, Wolves have already said goodbye to Ruben Neves, the 2022-23 skipper whose aura and quiet influence inspired team-mates, and Joao Moutinho, the Champions League veteran who, despite not being a natural leader, set the standards in training and was a calming influence at crucial moments in critical games.
Coady might yet return for the coming season, although a departure before the end of the transfer window still seems the more likely outcome, with Leicester City pursuing the England international.
When the club begin the task of adding to the squad for Julen Lopetegui’s first full season in charge, character and influence will be just as important a consideration as technical, tactical and physical attributes.
There were moments in the 2022-23 campaign when the absence of leadership throughout the team was painfully clear.
While it can be difficult to quantify what leadership is, it is very noticeable when it is missing.
Take the depressing 4-0 home defeat by Leicester City in October, which felt to many fans like the nadir of the post-Nuno slump in Wolves’ fortunes.
It was a game in which the team did plenty of things right, but they lacked sufficient composure and guidance from senior figures once the visitors went ahead and it ended in humiliation.
It happened again in the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City in January under Lopetegui. Any team is susceptible to a heavy loss at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s side, but the disorganised, chaotic nature of Wolves’ defending was that of a group of players without the guiding, calming hand of on-field leaders.
And the issues recurred most spectacularly at the end of the season, at Brighton & Hove Albion, when relegation was all-but avoided, and at Arsenal, when Wolves were mathematically safe.
Again, they were beaten heavily, 6-0 and 5-0 respectively, by strong teams but in a meek manner that would be deemed unacceptable by sides with the kind of pride in performance levels that strong characters and natural leaders engender.
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It should be noted that Wolves have already made a start when it comes to adding leaders to their squad.
Craig Dawson (who was signed in January) has a quiet off-field demeanour, which means the 33-year-old is not a natural captaincy candidate, but his levels of on-field commitment will make him an important member of the senior leadership group in the upcoming campaign.
Mario Lemina, 29, was not always considered ‘captaincy material’ earlier in his career, but the former Fulham and Southampton man has spoken about his improved maturity and has made a positive impression on staff and team-mates at Molineux since joining in January.
Goalkeeper Dan Bentley, 29, is a straight-talking, experienced presence in the dressing room who has gone some way to replacing Ruddy’s important influence behind the scenes.
Maximilian Kilman has also been handed added responsibility, captaining the side when Neves was suspended, and his performances at the heart of defence have been impressive when wearing the armband.
Yet the worrying reality is that if Coady isn’t in the squad next season, there is not currently a stand-out candidate to replace Neves as captain.
Most successful sides boast a group of leaders who help set standards, organise the team in difficult moments on the field and call out below-par performances on matchdays and during training.
Lopetegui will want key figures who can provide an extension of his own intensity and philosophy at moments when he cannot pull his side into line personally.
This means Wolves need several new leaders. Therefore, when it comes to selecting the right players to move the club forward, mentality will be more important than skill.
(Top photo: Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)