Why Wolves should move for Jose Sa to compete with Rui Patricio

According to Greek outlet SPORtime (h/t Birmingham Live), Wolves have been linked with a move for goalkeeper Jose Sa, who currently plies his trade with Olympiacos in the Greek top-flight.

The report (SPORtime h/t Birmingham Live) also adds that Wolves are looking for a long-term solution between the sticks and have identified Jose Sa as someone who fits the bill perfectly.

However, if the Black Country outfit are genuinely interested in securing the services of the 26-year-old, who has a release clause of €15million in his contract, then they would need to fend off interest from Premier League rivals West Ham, Leicester City and Arsenal. (SPORtime h/t Birmingham Live)

Image result for jose sa" — Jose Sa shot to prominence with Maritimo and Porto in his homeland (Getty Images)

Wolves’ ties with Iberian agent Jorge Mendes has been one of the hallmarks of their recruitment policy over the past two years and Sa, who is also a client of Mendes, is the latest name to be linked with a move to Molineux.

Mendes has already brokered the moves of players like Diogo Jota, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Ruben Neves to Wolves and Jose Sa’s links with the Portuguese super-agent means that the Nuno Santo has every reason to fancy his chances of getting his hands on the coveted shot-stopper.

Born in Braga, Portugal, Jose Sa completed his footballing education at Benfica and Maritimo before turning professional with the latter in 2012.

The 6ft 4in goalkeeper largely featured for Maritimo’s ‘B’ team in the lower divisions and made 24 appearances for the first-team before completing a move to national heavyweights Porto.

Sa, though, played second-fiddle to World Cup winner and former Real Madrid star Iker Casillas in goal during his stint at Porto and joined Olympiacos in the summer of 2018 after being deemed surplus to demands by manager Sergio Conceicao.

Several impressive displays between the sticks prompted Olympiacos to turn his loan spell into a permanent transfer this summer and the former Portuguese U-21 international has gone from strength to strength ever since.

Jose Sa has made a total of 51 appearances for Olympiacos in all competitions till date, managing an impressive 26 clean-sheets and conceding just 36 goals in the process.

Those numbers speak volumes of his qualities as a shot-stopper and Wolves’ interest in the Portuguese star doesn’t really come as a big surprise.

Jose Sa of Olympiacos FC throws the ball during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Bayern Muenchen and Olympiacos FC at Allianz Arena. (Getty Images)

To put things into perspective, Wolves already have a strong Portuguese contingent at the club and Jose Sa could be yet another useful addition to the ranks, with the goalkeeping department certainly in need of some investment moving forward in the years to come.

Rui Patricio, who has accumulated 15 clean-sheets in 58 appearances for Wolves in all competitions so far, has been quite exceptional since his move to Molineux from Sporting Lisbon last summer.

Verdict

The 31-year-old is expected to continue in his No.1 role for the foreseeable future, however, the club’s links with Jose Sa is a clear indication of their long-term ambitions, with John Ruddy out of contract at the end of the ongoing campaign and Will Norris currently on loan at Ipswich Town in League One.

Given that Nuno Santo hasn’t shown a lot of confidence in either of the aforementioned goalkeepers, the door is very much open for someone like Jose Sa to come in and challenge Patricio for the No.1 role in the years to come.

The Braga-born shot-stopper still has plenty of time to make significant adjustments to his game in order to make the transition to the competitive atmosphere of the Premier League and he has already shown at Olympiacos that he is more than capable of plying his trade at a higher level.

With Patricio set to enter the twilight of his career in the next couple of seasons, Wolves can certainly do with another quality shot-stopper in their ranks to ensure tough competition for places and the 26-year-old looks like a handy option at a reasonable price for the Black Country outfit.

Porto's Portuguese goalkeeper Jose Sa kicks the ball during the Portuguese league football match between GD Chaves and FC Porto. (Getty Images) — Jose Sa kicks the ball during the Portuguese league football match between GD Chaves and FC Porto. (Getty Images)

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With that in mind, Wolves shouldn’t hesitate to move for the Portuguese shot-stopper in the upcoming transfer windows, and the club’s links with Jorge Mendes could once again come in handy if the Premier League rivals choose to firm up their interest in the Olympiacos man.