Dan Bentley has today signed a new contract at Wolves, despite being heavily linked with an exit in the summer, with Arsenal particularly keen at one point.
Bentley has now put pen to paper on a new three-year deal at Molineux, and has the option for a fourth.
It was reported earlier this month that Bentley was being lined up for a new contract at the club. This claim did rather cause some confusion, especially given the fact Wolves had just signed Sam Johnstone.
Jose Sa has also stayed at the club, although he is expected to move on in January or next summer.
But the news is now official, and sporting director Matt Hobbs has been speaking about the decision to sign Bentley up to a new contract.
And he’s made one interesting suggestion.
Dan Bentley ‘never wanted to leave’ Wolves despite Arsenal interest, as he signs new contract
Since he signed in January 2023, Bentley has made 10 appearances for the club.
He has played second fiddle to Sa for the most part, but has been seen as a very important addition to the squad.
It has been said several times that Bentley is one of the biggest characters in the dressing room. He quickly became a part of the leadership group, and is someone who is well respected.
Essentially, he was the replacement for John Ruddy, who played a similar role before his exit in 2022.
Currently, Bentley now looks to be the number three following Johnstone’s arrival. But many are expecting Sa to leave in one of the next two windows. This contract extension for Bentley surely casts further doubt on Sa’s long-term future at the club.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs has given some comments to the club’s official website about Bentley’s new deal. He claims that the player never wanted to depart, despite all those transfer links to Arsenal.
He said (via Wolves official): “Everyone is aware of the interest for Dan in the summer, but he has always wanted to stay here. There was going to be an inevitability behind this deal even before the interest came, but we just felt it was the right thing for us to do – to show him we have the same faith in him that another club would.
“It’s a new deal for him, and with it, he and his family know that they’re settled for the future and he knows he’s appreciated by the football club because he plays an important role for us, both on and off the pitch.”
Hobbs goes on to talk about Bentley’s leadership and mentality being crucial in the dressing room.
Sa will surely leave in January or next summer
So Bentley has now signed a new three-year contract and this does strongly suggest that Sa will soon be off.
Bentley may not have agreed to a new deal had he not been given some kind of assurances about being a number two.
Sa cannot possibly sit on the bench at Wolves and be happy. There were many claims that he was going to move to Saudi in the summer but in the end, it did not materialise for one reason or another.
It would be no surprise if his agents are already trying to facilitate his exit ahead of the next window. Johnstone has already played in the two games since he signed, with Sa left out entirely against Nottingham Forest and named on the bench against Newcastle United.