Last season, Jose Sa and Sam Johnstone battled it out for the No. 1 spot at Wolves, with the Portuguese keeper coming out the victor.
What followed were questions about Sam Johnstone’s future at the club.
Burnley seemed a promising destination for Johnstone, as a club in need of a starting keeper. But they went in a different direction, as did Sunderland and Leeds.
Now, with not long left in the window, we have our answer as to what Wolves plan to do in that position.
Wolves reveal plans for Jose Sa and Sam Johnstone
Jose Sa hasn’t covered himself in glory in the opening stages of the season, with fans concerned with his Man City performance in particular.
With that in mind, keeping some competition around to put pressure on Sa seemed a good idea.
The Telegraph have released an update on Wolves that suggests this is the plan, as John Percy writes: “It had been anticipated that there could be an overhaul of the goalkeeping department, but Wolves insist Jose Sa’s place is safe and deputy Sam Johnstone will not be leaving.”
This decision may come as a surprise given all the Johnstone buzz this summer, but it could be beneficial to Wolves for another reason as well.
Sam Johnstone helps Wolves meet their homegrown requirement
Wolves have three balls to juggle over the coming days.
First, and most important, to get another striker through the door.
Second, to add depth to Vitor Pereira’s midfield.
And third, to accomplish the first two while abiding by the Premier League’s homegrown players rule.
As it stands, the club can only afford to bring in one more ‘non-homegrown’ player. Getting rid of Johnstone would be counterproductive to Wolves getting the players they want.
It will be interesting to see if the Englishman can make a better impression in whatever minutes he’s given than he did last season.