Jose Sa has expressed his sadness about John Ruddy’s recent exit from Wolves.
The 35-year-old left the club a few weeks ago, after the club decided not to extend his contract by another year.
It is thought that Ruddy had been open to staying, Apparently Bruno Lage also wanted him to stick around.
But Wolves officials took the decision not to renew his deal, with Matija Sarkic replacing him as the number two.
Ruddy has a new club in the form of Birmingham City, and made his competitive debut against Luton Town Saturday.
The game ended goalless, with Ruddy shining for the Blues.
The Birmingham Mail gave him an 8/10 for his performance and said: “A really assured presence in the Blues goal. Took pressure off his defence by claiming the odd corner and in the first half dealt comfortably with what came at his goal. A very strong debut from the 35-year-old.”
Ruddy recently reflected on his time at Molineux, and admitted he sat on the bench for longer than he would have liked.
Despite not featuring much during the club’s time as a Premier League outfit, Ruddy was also a well respected figure at the club.
He was especially well liked by £7 million star Sa, who has again sung Ruddy’s praises.
He told the Express & Star: “To lose John Ruddy was hard for us because he’s a good guy and a good teammate. He helped us a lot and help me a lot to work and pushed me. Of course I was sad when I heard the news, but this is football and it can happen.”
Big shoes to fill for Matija Sarkic as Jose Sa again sings John Ruddy’s praises
Ruddy clearly had a profound effect on Sa last season.
The Portuguese stopper has previously talked about how Ruddy’s challenge helped him to maintain his own high level throughout his first season.
Hopefully, Ruddy’s exit will not prove to be too detrimental for Sa.
Sarkic is the new number two at Molineux and it’ll be important for him to try and replicate Ruddy.
The 24-year-old has spoken about become number one before, and his competitive edge and confidence can only be a good thing for Wolves.