Wolves’ Goalkeeper Situation: Sa vs. Johnstone

The 2-0 victory for Wolves against Southampton on Saturday marked a significant occasion; it represented not only the team’s initial Premier League win since April but also their first league clean sheet in 258 days. The acquisition of England international goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace for £10m in August introduced competition for Jose Sa, who remained with the club past the summer transfer window’s close despite reported interest from Saudi Arabia. Both players, aged 31, have divided goalkeeping responsibilities during the initial stages of the season, leading some Wolves supporters to propose that Johnstone has not demonstrated an improvement, but has instead simply presented a selection challenge for manager Gary O’Neil. This season’s statistics indicate minimal distinction between the two goalkeepers. Portugal international Sa holds a marginally superior record for goals conceded per game and has recorded the single clean sheet; however, according to Opta, he committed one error directly resulting in a goal, whereas Johnstone possesses a slightly higher save percentage. Neither current goalkeeper’s performance approaches Sa’s save percentage of 69.31% achieved across his 35 Premier League appearances in 2023-24, though it is possible that other elements have played a role in Wolves’ diminished defensive performance this season compared to the previous one. Max Kilman, Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes, Nelson Semedo, and Rayan Ait-Nouri constituted a relatively stable defensive unit for a significant portion of last season, with each of the five starting a minimum of 25 league matches. This term has seen various defensive formations implemented; Kilman was transferred to West Ham during the summer without a primary replacement being secured, and a severe knee injury suffered in September by Yerson Mosquera – who came back to Wolves in the summer following a loan period at Villarreal – further diminished O’Neil’s choices for centre-back. Sa currently seems to be the preferred goalkeeper. Due to Johnstone’s injury, Sa rejoined the starting eleven for the match against Manchester City on 20 October, where he produced several excellent saves in a 2-1 loss. He has participated in the last four fixtures, but the question of Wolves’ primary goalkeeper going forward will probably resurface after Johnstone, now recovered from injury, was named among the substitutes against Southampton.