Wolves have a lot of great players on paper, but pundit Robbie Mustoe believes there’s one man at Molineux who is ‘underappreciated’.
Wolves lost their latest Premier League game 2-1 to Manchester City on Sunday.
It was a tough defeat to take, with John Stones popping up right at the death to score a winner.
There was an element of controversy about the goal due to the position of Bernardo Silva, who was in front of Jose Sa when Phil Foden took his corner, but moved away when Stones headed the ball in.
He was deemed not to be interfering from his offside position.
To concede in that moment was a great shame for Sa especially, after he’d had a great game for Wolves.
Alan Shearer praised Sa for his display, naming him in his latest Premier League Team of the Week.
Sa has also come in for praise from former midfielder Robbie Mustoe.
Jose Sa ‘underappreciated’ by Gary O’Neil and Wolves
Sa was back in the team on Sunday, after O’Neil said Sam Johnstone had picked up an injury.
Johnstone was not in the matchday squad at all and faces a battle to be fit for the next game against Brighton.
It was a chance for Sa to prove a point, and he certainly did that. He made five saves against City and kept Wolves in the contest. Two of his saves came from shots inside the area.
Mustoe named Sa as his ‘underappreciated performer of the week’ during The 2 Robbies Podcast, saying: “I thought for a guy who’s been out for the last few weeks – I think Sa started the first two games and then was out for Johnstone – the sharpness of Sa to come back in and make three or four of those low-hand (saves). Very athletic, very sharp, very quick.
“Fair play to Jose Sa. Underappreciated by the club Rob? Did they need Sam Johnstone? I didn’t think of Jose Sa last year as being a weak goalkeeper. I just wanted to give him a bit of love. Has he been a bit underappreciated by the manager and the club, that somebody else has come in that I don’t know is any better in Sam Johnstone.”
Johnstone signing seems baffling
Many Wolves fans just cannot wrap their heads around the goalkeeper situation right now.
Sa did not have his best season in 2023/24, but by no means was he disastrous. There wasn’t really a major call to sign somebody for that position – especially when there were more pressing needs, such as a new centre-back.
Johnstone came in, with Wolves dropping £10 million on him, which was a lot of money.
So far, there has been no evidence to suggest that he is an upgrade on the £40,000-a-week Sa.
One does wonder if the situation is just not as it seems. Sa was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia throughout the summer, so perhaps the intention was for him to go there.
Wolves may have signed Johnstone as they presumed Sa would get his move.
Mustoe and Robbie Earle concluded their chat by saying Sa should keep his place for Wolves against Brighton this weekend, and few fans would disagree with that.