‘Premier League’s best goalkeeper’ could make dramatic exit THIS WEEK despite transfer window closing
GOALKEEPERS Jose Sa and Odysseas Vlachodimos could STILL leave Wolves and Newcastle this week.
Sa has lost his place at Molineux after Sam Johnstone arrived from Crystal Palace and the 31-year-old is open to a move to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi window does not close until Monday.
And the Portugal international’s agent will try to find him a club – boosted by stats that showing their man stopped the MOST goals in the Premier League last season.
Wolves conceded 57 goals in their 38 fixtures in 2023/24.
However, their Expected Goals On Target Conceded (xGOT Conceded) tally was a significantly higher 66.45.
That means that the Premier League judges Sa to have prevented a net 9.45 goals from being scored against his side.
In second place was Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez with 8.42 goals prevented.
Interestingly, the man who looks set to replace Sa – Sam Johnstone – ended up with a negative score of -5.91 goals prevented at Crystal Palace in 2023/24.
Sa was left out of Wolves’ matchday squad for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest as Johnstone made his debut.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
And after the match, boss Gary O’Neil admitted the former Olympiacos man “had a bit going on”.
He told Match of the Day: “A good debut [for Johnstone] and he has not played much recently, it was a good start to his Wolves career.
“It’s an unsettling week, there is a lot going on, Jose Sa had a bit going on.
“I had a big decision around goalkeeping and we decided it was Sam today. But Jose will be back training with the group when he returns from Portugal.
“The idea is him and Sam fight it out for the shirt.”
Greece stopper Vlachodimos, 30, only joined Newcastle from Forest in June — but he may end up at Anderlecht before Friday’s deadline in Belgium.