Former Wolves defender Andy Thompson believes Jose Sa has improved his game recently thanks to arrival of Dan Bentley.
This season, Sa hasn’t quite shown the same levels he did in 2021/22.
The Molineux number one has made a few penalty saves. But he has also made a few errors.
In the first half of the season, he was undoubtedly way off top form.
But just lately, Sa has been showing signs of improvement. He bailed Max Kilman out against Southampton, and then made a crucial save late on.
And against Fulham, he made an absolutely vital save right at the end from Carlos Vinicius.
The striker powered a header downwards and it seemed like it was destined for the bottom corner. But Sa was cat-like, and tipped it away.
That helped Wolves take a point at Craven Cottage in the end, one that could prove crucial at the end of the season.
In the eyes of Thompson, Sa has been better as a result of the recent arrival of Bentley at Molineux.
He said (via Wolves official): “It was a good save [from Vinicius]. I don’t want to take anything away from him, the header was going into the corner, but the thing that favoured him a little bit was that there wasn’t much pace on the ball, which allowed him to get it. It’s still a great save.
“He’s looked better [since Bentley signed]. It’s about making sure you push players, it’s not just the goalkeeper, you want to be in the starting 11. It’s about having healthy competition, pushing people in the right way.”
Bentley is yet to make an appearance for Wolves.
But the club have released training footage in recent weeks and it is clear to see that Bentley has been a strong addition.
He is extremely vocal at Compton Park, and appears to be very sharp.
Dan Bentley proving a great signing for Wolves without even playing yet, as Jose Sa starts to find form again
Sa has been getting better in recent weeks, and that might well have something to do with Bentley.
Bentley suggested recently that he hasn’t just come to Wolves to be a rotation option.
He’s out to push Sa and potentially get minutes for the first-team.
And that is exactly what is needed. £7 million signing Sa hadn’t really been at the races in the first half of the season. But there maybe wasn’t a strong enough push from Matija Sarkic for that to really matter.
Bentley looks the business in training, and Sa may well have just sharpened up his focus as a result.