Sa or Johnstone? Wolves' goalkeeper dilemma

Wolves' 2-0 win over Southampton on Saturday was a notable one; not only was it the club's first Premier League victory since April, but it was also the first time they had kept a clean sheet in the league for 258 days.

The £10m signing of England international goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace in August added competition for Jose Sa, who stayed at the club beyond the summer transfer deadline despite reported interest from Saudi Arabia.

The pair, both 31, have shared goalkeeping duties in the early weeks of the campaign and some Wolves fans have suggested that Johnstone has not proved to be an upgrade, but has merely created a selection conundrum for boss Gary O'Neil.

Based on this season's stats, there is little to separate the two.

Portugal international Sa has a slightly better record in terms of goals conceded per game and has that solitary clean sheet to his credit although, according to Opta, he has made one error that has directly led to a goal, while Johnstone has a marginally higher save percentage.

Neither goalkeeper is close to Sa's save percentage of 69.31% in his 35 Premier League appearances in 2023-24, although other factors may have contributed to Wolves' poorer defensive record this term compared with last.

Max Kilman, Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes, Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri formed a fairly settled back line for much of last season, with all five making at least 25 league starts.

Different defensive setups have been tried this term, Kilman was sold to West Ham in the summer with no first-choice replacement signed, while the serious knee injury sustained in September by Yerson Mosquera - who returned to Wolves in the summer after a loan spell at Villarreal - further reduced O'Neil's centre-back options.

Sa appears to have the goalkeeper's shirt in his possession for now. With Johnstone out injured, he returned to the line-up against Manchester City on 20 October and made a string of fine saves in a 2-1 defeat.

He has played in each of the past four games, but who Wolves' starting goalkeeper will be moving forward will likely be on the agenda again following fit-again Johnstone's return to the bench against Southampton.