Wolverhampton Wanderers, thinking about spending some of the reported £54m fee gained through the sale of Pedro Neto to Chelsea, have reportedly made their first enquiry to sign a Premier League ace.
Wolves transfer news
Whilst it’s easy to point out the impact that Neto made in the Midlands, his injury record could yet make Wolves’ decision to part ways with his services a stroke of genius, given the aforementioned fee that they received. We saw last season how they managed to cope after losing Ruben Neves and will now have a similar task ahead of them without the Portuguese winger.
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He seems set to leave this summer
In Neves’ place, Wolves welcomed Joao Gomes, who has proved to be an excellent addition to Gary O’Neil’s side. Now, in place of Neto, they’ve been linked with a move for former Manchester City academy star and current Ajax winger Carlos Forbs. With plenty of money likely left over even if they sign the 20-year-old, however, those at the Molinuex are reportedly looking to strengthen elsewhere.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Wolves have made an enquiry to sign Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace, alongside Southampton and Leicester City. The experienced goalkeeper, who earns a reported £40k-a-week, wants to leave Palace this summer and is currently assessing his options.
With mistakes creeping into Jose Sa’s game in the last two seasons, a second option in the form of Johnstone would be a wise addition for Wolves. What’s more, doubts over Dan Bentley’s future at the club this summer means that the Midlands club would need an additional shot-stopper, no matter the recent form of Sa. It would then be down to O’Neil to pick his number one.
“Brilliant” Johnstone can compete with Sa
Two goalkeepers who could battle it out for a starting place, Wolves may suddenly be left with two strong and experienced options to call on in the Premier League this season. England international Johnstone has quite the decision to make, however, given that both Leicester and Southampton are also interested in his signature.
|
Premier League stats 23/24 (via FBref) |
Sam Johnstone |
Jose Sa |
|---|---|---|
|
Clean Sheets |
6 |
4 |
|
Save Percentage |
62.7% |
73.4% |
|
Saves P90 |
2.05 |
3.89 |
Praised during his time at West Bromwich Albion by Sam Allardyce following the Baggies’ 2020 draw against Liverpool, the former manager said via TalkSport: “The defence was so good yesterday that Sam had little or nothing to do.
“That one brilliant save was a magnificent save when we needed it, but we limited Liverpool to hardly any shots on target and we had more than them. We’ve got to keep that up but know that Sam is there when needed and not make him too busy.”
Those standards haven’t slipped four years later, either, and Johnstone now looks increasingly likely to leave Crystal Palace in search of a consistent number one spot that he could yet find at Wolves.
