Wolves are on red alert, with one of their reported targets said to be keen to leave his club.
Wolves have enjoyed a good summer so far, having brought in three new players.
Jorgen Strand Larsen, Rodrigo Gomes and Pedro Lima have all looked really good in pre-season, and the hope is that they will all make good impacts in the Premier League.
Wolves have gone quiet in the transfer market during the trips to Marbella and Miami.
But things have still been bubbling away in the background, and Gary O’Neil said recently that he is in contact with sporting director Matt Hobbs every day.
Something that could happen this month is Wolves making a change to their goalkeeping department.
Sam Johnstone of Crystal Palace is said to be of interest, and his arrival could see one key man leave the club.
Sam Johnstone wants out of Crystal Palace, his signing could see Jose Sa leave Wolves
It has been reported by talkSPORT that Sam Johnstone wants to leave Crystal Palace, having fallen behind Dean Henderson in the pecking order last season.
Johnstone, who has four England caps, is hoping to join a club that will give him regular game time.
He is a player who has been on Wolves’ radar for quite a while, having been linked with the club last summer and then again last December.
Apparently, according to The Sun, Wolves would listen to offers for Jose Sa if the club did successfully sign Johnstone.
Earlier this summer, it was claimed that Sa’s agent Jorge Mendes was seeking out potential new suitors for his client.
£7 million signing Sa has been with Wolves for three years and enjoyed a decent spell since replacing Rui Patricio between the sticks at Molineux. He was outstanding in his first season, but saw his level dip in his second. Last season he had a mixed bag, but finished fairly strongly.
Currently, there is no word on how much Wolves would expect to receive for Sa.
Wolves should just keep Sa
If Sa is happy to stay at Wolves, then the club need not be looking at other goalkeepers.
While he can sometimes be erratic, Sa has done a good job on the whole since signing from Olympiacos three years ago.
Ultimately, Wolves should be looking at other positions to strengthen before the goalkeeper.
Johnstone is not an obvious upgrade on Sa. In the Premier League last season, Sa had a save percentage of 73.4%, while Johnstone’s was down at just 62.7% (via fbref).
And in terms of passing, which is supposedly Sa’s weakness, Johnstone’s completion rate was also lower (57.3% for Johnstone, 65.6% for Sa).
While there may be a temptation here for Wolves to swoop, the club should focus on other areas of the team unless Sa agitates for a move.