Johnny Phillips: The leader of Wolves’ rise leaves great legacy behind
Awareness. Leadership. Bravery. These attributes spring to mind when trying to describe the captaincy of Conor Coady on the pitch at Wolves.
And it was those same qualities that came to define the man and his legacy off the pitch.
His expected departure to Leicester City cuts all ties with the side which took Wolves into the Premier League five years ago.
That era is in the rear view mirror but the Wolves of today, about to embark on a sixth successive Premier League season, owes him so much.
The awareness materialised back in the summer of 2017. Nuno Espirito Santo identified Coady as the pivot of a three-man defence.
It seems like ancient history now but, then aged 24, the player had spent the previous season filling in at various positions across midfield and right-back.
If Nuno spotted something in Coady, then the Liverpudlian certainly spotted something in the new head coach.
Nuno may have been the fourth manager in the space of a year at Molineux, but Coady realised that Wolves could be on to something special and knew he had a role to play.
Entering his peak years as a professional, he was acutely aware that this could be one of those ‘now or never’ moments and he adjusted accordingly, embracing everything about the new regime.
It is no coincidence that Coady eventually became the sole survivor of the pre-Fosun era, with his adaptability proving key.
His leadership qualities emerged almost immediately.
It was a quiet dressing room that Nuno discovered on his arrival. Aside from Coady’s ability to play the ball out of defence, his effervescent and infectious character was perfect for a head coach who needed to convey his message throughout the team.
Coady captained both the Liverpool under-18s and under-21s and at international level skippered England’s under-17 side to victory in the 2010 European Championships and three years later led the under-20 side at the World Cup.
