The transfer window may have closed for English teams, but there is still time remaining for Saudi clubs to do business – and Liam Keen has just dropped an update on Wolves duo Jose Sa and Daniel Podence.
Wolves landed three new players on deadline day – Sam Johnstone, Andre and Carlos Forbs. The day before, young defender Bastien Meupiyou also joined.
There were also a couple of outgoings. Fabio Silva left to join Las Palmas on loan, while Chiquinho has gone to Mallorca for the 2024/25 season.
There was a lot of talk about Daniel Podence and Jose Sa on deadline day, with both players linked with moves to Saudi Arabia.
But there was always potential for things to happen a couple of days after, with the Saudi window closing tonight and not last Friday.
In the last moments, E&S journalist Liam Keen has dropped an update on both players.
Jose Sa move to Saudi Arabia ‘appears to be off’, but Daniel Podence will leave Wolves
It has been reported by Liam Keen on X that Sa, whom there has been so much speculation about as a result of Sam Johnstone’s arrival at Molineux, will actually now be staying at the club.
He did not feature at the weekend in the game against Nottingham Forest, with Gary O’Neil admitting the player had had an ‘unsettling’ period.
Sa’s representatives were thought to be trying to get him a move to Saudi.
But Podence will be leaving Wolves, with an official announcement expected very soon. He is off to Al-Shabab. It had been claimed that an announcement could come yesterday, but that suggestion was evidently wide of the mark.
Keen said: “Jose Sa’s proposed move to Saudi Arabia appears to be off. Daniel Podence will still depart today.
“Turkey transfer window is open until September 18th, but looking more likely Sa will stay at Wolves as it stands and fight with Sam Johnstone for the shirt.”
Currently, there is no word on which Saudi team/s were actually in for Sa.
O’Neil did say that he expected Sa to stay and fight for his position despite Johnstone’s arrival. It now looks like that will come to pass.
A very interesting turn of events
So Podence will be leaving, which was to be expected given the reports in recent days.
But Sa staying is really interesting now, because Johnstone has clearly come to Wolves to be a number one.
Johnstone has said himself he wants to play, and he surely would not have made the move if he had not been given some kind of assurances about game time.
Sa could still leave Wolves soon with the window for Turkish clubs still open. But the narrative has long been that he wants a move to Saudi, and there have been no reports linking Sa with any Super Lig clubs.
It may now be that he waits for the opportunity to come around again and will have to compete with Johnstone – who has been dubbed ‘a top signing’ for Wolves by We Are Palace managing editor Billy Meyers – for the time being.
This is also quite an interesting situation for Dan Bentley and to a lesser extent Tom King. Bentley might have also expected Sa to be going, and it looks like he will now be third-choice.