Daniel Podence: The Wolf Who Bites

Daniel Podence, 28, has never truly established himself at Wolves. Upon his arrival from Olympiacos in January 2020, for a £16m fee, there was real excitement and buzz surrounding him. He was hailed as a genuine Nuno signing, a player he truly wanted, not merely a recommendation from Jorge Mendes (though he is represented by Gestifute). Clearly, Nuno believed Podence filled a void in the Wolves team, offering something that had previously been missing. It was presumed this would be a creative spark, with comparisons made to Eden Hazard, who incidentally has now retired at the surprisingly young age of 33 after his form drastically declined. The comparisons were particularly drawn on how both players moved with the ball at their feet, with the rare ability to change direction quickly thanks to their low centre of gravity. Twisting, turning, rapidly shifting the ball from one side to the other to find half a yard to get the shot off, or to pick that killer pass. But we have only ever seen this in flashes. Besides, Wolves already had players capable of doing something similar.

Podence is a player who gets under the skin. He’s prickly, and every good team has a character like this. Think of the famous and highly successful Manchester United team with Roy Keane at its heart. Keane has recently stated that his antagonistic image on the pitch was all an act; he maintained it purely because it gave his team an edge. It helped them control games and got them over the line. This arguably was a little bit of what was missing last season for Wolves. A bit of that mettle, that steeliness to get the team over the line. I think back to moments like the heartbreaking Coventry turnaround, or the late Kobbie Mainoo winner for Manchester United, and I wonder if a player like Daniel Podence was on the field, would he not have implemented a little bit of gamesmanship? Exaggerating a clip, going down holding his ankle, frustrating the opposition, slowing down the game, taking the sting out, ruining the opposition’s momentum.

We all know how this feels; it’s utterly infuriating when it happens against us. One game that sticks out in my mind was the 2-0 defeat at Molineux against Brentford a couple of seasons ago. At every opportunity, they took a few minutes out of the game. David Raya even changed his gloves. Their burly centre-back, Ajer, seemingly turned into a man made of glass such was his apparent delicacy in the second half.

Now, with the awful story of Hwang’s racial abuse in the preseason friendly against Como—who fielded a well-known and generally very popular ex-Wolves man in Patrick Cutrone—we perhaps see the true value of what Podence offers this Wolves team: a little bite, a little ferocity. If anything epitomises the nature of a wolf more, it has been lost on me. Podence, as we know, sprang into action to defend his teammate. While violence is not necessarily condoned, it does reveal the core values of the man. You can almost read his thought process: ‘If you are in my pack, I’ll defend you almost instinctively, for there are no lone wolves in my pack.’

It is up to Wolves to decide how much a mentality like that is worth. Ultimately, it is highly likely Podence leaves for Olympiacos this summer after a highly successful loan season in Greece. Scoring 11 goals and assisting a further 6 in the domestic league, as well as playing an instrumental part in the Piraeus club’s European success, which saw them lift the Europa Conference League.

Along the way, Podence put in a standout performance at Villa Park, no less, in the semi-finals, providing two assists in a comprehensive 4-2 victory for the Greek side. Podence turns up in the big games, the big moments, which again is something we have seen from him at Wolves. Julen Lopetegui turned to him when Wolves were in the mire toward the end of the season before last. Away at a relegation rival in a crucial six-pointer, Wolves found themselves trailing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest with time ticking away. Enter Mr Podence, who stepped up with a crucial equaliser, a goal from which Wolves never really looked back. It was considered a must-win for Forest and a must-not-lose for Wolves. Daniel helped Wolves keep their end of the bargain. More famous than his goal, perhaps, during that game was his alleged spit at Brennan Johnson. He was later cleared of a spitting charge due to a lack of ‘convincing’ evidence against him—the commission said video footage of the alleged incident did not show any saliva leaving Podence’s mouth. Podence, being the rabble-rouser that he is, admitted to the commission that he pretended to spit at Johnson twice in an attempt to provoke his opponent.

Yes, controversy follows Mr Podence, and all this only acted to further enhance his reputation as a gritty, antagonistic, unlikeable player; again, in the mould of Roy Keane. But like Keane, this reputation appears to extend only to the opposition. Podence is adored by his teammates. He’s the kind of player you want on your team, especially when the chips are down. I have a niggling worry that Wolves are a very ‘nice’ team, happy and smiling, laughing and joking. Think of Cunha’s beaming cheeky chappy smile we were graced with at the Hawthorns last season. But who, if not Daniel Podence, fulfils the ‘nasty’ role? Who is the wolf who bites? The aggressor if you like.

I think, in retrospect, particularly with the injuries suffered throughout our front line, Podence would have strengthened us significantly last season had he not been loaned out. And even though he is not likely a starter in a fully fit squad, I think there is a vital role he could play this season too. The bad news for Wolves fans is he is close to running down his contract, with just one year remaining. So in reality, we are likely to see Daniel, and all his bite, leave the club for a small fee this summer. Perhaps it is worth considering whether the value of these additional funds (likely around £5m) would truly outweigh the value of keeping Podence on for a final season and letting him leave for free next summer. While Wolves do hold the option of a further year, it would be a risky strategy to give a player an additional year in the hopes of selling him that same summer. Should no move materialise you are stuck with an unwanted player on your books for an additional year. Costing a significant amount in wages. Regardless of this, and what may or may not happen this summer or next- ultimately, I would rather have Daniel around. Wouldn’t you?’