Wolves have a lot of talented players on the books at the moment – but it has been claimed that coaches have reservations about one regular starter.
Gary O’Neil has done a brilliant job since coming in as manager at Molineux, and has done fabulous work regarding player development.
Many players have improved significantly under O’Neil, with the three forwards Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto all thriving in particular.
And then young talents like Rayan Ait-Nouri and Joao Gomes have also been fantastic this term.
Someone who hasn’t quite been at it for the whole of this season though is Jose Sa, and journalist Johnny Phillips has claimed that some of the coaches at Wolves are unconvinced about the 31-year-old…
Why some Wolves coaches are unconvinced about Jose Sa, with club on the lookout for a new goalkeeper this summer
It has been an interesting season for Sa, who has made 35 appearances for Wolves across all competitions.
He has been a bit up and down. While he has undoubtedly made errors leading to goals, like against Luton Town and Liverpool earlier this season, he has also had some very solid outings.
Just in the last month or so, Sa has made a lot of saves in games and does appear to be back somewhere near his best.
But despite this, Phillips says not everyone behind the scenes is convinced by Sa in relation to how Gary O’Neil wants Wolves to play.
He told Talking Wolves: “They are looking at the ‘keeper situation. Jose Sa is a good ‘keeper, he makes a lot of saves. I think the coaches… I’m not sure they think he’s the right man for what they’re trying to do on the ball. He’s maybe not the most willing to adapt.
“Sa’s fine, he’s a top-level goalkeeper. I think the coaching staff are probably thinking ‘Is there someone we can get who is better with his feet, better with distribution and can maybe learn the system a bit better?’
“Sa hasn’t really grown much this season and hasn’t really developed the way, I think, Gary O’Neil and the coaches would have liked.”
Sa situation will be very interesting this summer
It will be really intriguing to see if Sa will still be a Wolves player next season.
He signed a new contract earlier this season, indicating that the club are happy with what he’s been doing.
But just lately, there have been some transfer links to new goalkeepers, including Mile Svilar, Patrick Schulte and Filip Jorgensen.
Sa’s ball-playing and distribution have always arguably been the part of his game most in need of improvement. He does have a tendency to make rash decisions, and can put his defenders under unnecessary pressure at times.
It is a shame that part of his game hasn’t really improved since his arrival, because all the other aspects are pretty good.
It’s been suggested O’Neil is not as keen to replace Sa as Lopetegui was. But if a big offer comes in for Sa – who’s had interest from Saudi Arabia – then perhaps Wanderers will accept and make a change.