Wolverhampton Wanderers have strengthened their goalkeeping ranks with the signing of Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
Over the past week, it has been well documented that the West Midlands outfit have been trying to acquire the services of Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale.
However, once it became clear that the two clubs would be unable to negotiate a deal, Wolves switched their attention to a fellow England international.
Johnstone arrives at Molineux on a four-year deal, seemingly to compete with long-standing number one Jose Sa between the sticks.
Although a fee has not been officially disclosed, it has been widely reported that Wolves are spending £10m to sign the former West Bromwich Albion stopper.
Your new home, @samjohnstone 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/MkdyXiaixT
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 30, 2024
'We wanted more competition'
While the perception was that Wolves would now look to cash in on Sa, comments made by sporting director Matt Hobbs suggest that Johnstone will be in direct competition with the Portugal international.
That would effectively leave the 31-year-old in the same position that he was encountering at Selhurst Park, where he had dropped behind Dean Henderson in the pecking order.
Hobbs told the club's official website: "It's great for us to have a player with a huge amount of Premier League experience and an international goalkeeper. It's an area of the pitch we wanted to add more competition and, for us, it's finding the right balance between the level of investment, what it adds to the squad and what it enables us to do for the rest of the squad.
"Sam's at a good age – goalkeepers come into their prime a bit later – and what happens from here will be up to the boys in the building, but for us to be able to add someone like him is valuable for us.
"People know that we're looking for good characters and we're not going to take someone who is a really good player but doesn't fit culturally. He ticks a lot of boxes and it's up to him and the others to fight out for that position."
© Imago
Wolves pushing for at least two more signings?
Many Wolves fans are hoping that another experienced centre-back is signed before the 11pm deadline, with West Ham United's Nayef Aguerd the most recent such player to be linked with a transfer.
There appears to be more certainty over the arrival of Fluminense midfielder Andre, with Wolves having agreed a deal in the region of £21m to sign the Brazil international.
The 23-year-old is said to be making his way to England to undergo a medical, the hope being that a formal announcement will come late on Friday.
Darren Plant
