Many eyebrows were raised when Jose Sa did not leave the club in the summer of 2024.
Wolves made the decision to spend £10 million to sign Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace which cast major doubt on the future of Sa.
Sa had long been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and the expectation was that he would move on, especially once a deal for Johnstone had been signed off.
But for one reason or another, a move did not happen.
Sa has played just one game for Wolves since all the speculation, and now finds himself behind Johnstone in the pecking order at Molineux.
To make things even more interesting, Wolves recently handed Dan Bentley a new contract, and Gary O’Neil has now spoken about that deal and if it could mean anything for Sa.
O’Neil says new contract for Bentley doesn’t mean Sa will leave Wolves in January
The goalkeeper situation at Molineux is certainly strange.
Many are surprised that Sa is still a Wolves player and are expecting him to be moving on in January.
The new deal for Bentley obviously suggests that he’ll be sticking around long-term, which casts further doubt on Sa’s future, with Bentley of course having been the number two.
But O’Neil has been asked about the situation, and he says that Bentley’s new deal doesn’t mean Sa will leave in January.
He told the E&S: “No (it doesn’t mean Sa will leave), I have no thoughts of January at the moment.
“The goalkeepers will continue to fight and see where they end up in the pecking order.”
Bentley himself was the subject of transfer speculation in the summer.
It was thought that Arsenal were keen to sign Bentley to be their number three, with the Gunners offering £50,000 at one point.
He ended up staying at Wolves and Matt Hobbs claimed Bentley had always wanted to stick around, despite the interest from Arsenal.
Sa will surely agitate for Wolves exit
Many Wolves fans just cannot get their heads around the goalkeeper situation at the club right now.
Johnstone came in for £10 million, and even before he signed many were saying that he wasn’t necessarily a big upgrade on Sa, if any upgrade at all.
So far, he hasn’t proven himself to be any kind of upgrade.
| Jose Sa for Wolves (all competitions) |
| Appearances – 119 |
| Clean sheets – 29 |
| Goals conceded – 172 |
O’Neil may have said that Bentley signing a new deal doesn’t mean Sa will leave, but it’s difficult to see him wanting to stick around.
Ultimately, he’s still a good goalkeeper who would start for plenty of other teams out there. He is not someone who should be sitting on the bench, even if his form for Wolves has been poor for a while.
Sa’s agent apparently sounded out interest in his client in the summer, and it would be no surprise if the goalkeeper really agitated to leave in January. It will all boil down to whether a club can pay what Wolves are asking for, which is currently unclear.