Journalist Liam Keen has been speaking about the goalkeeper situation at Wolves, and shared some insight on how Gary O’Neil feels about Jose Sa and Dan Bentley.
Sa has been the number one once again for Wanderers this term, making 34 appearances across all competitions so far.
Number two Bentley has made six appearances, and is continuing to try and push Sa.
Just recently, there have been some reports about Wolves targeting new goalkeepers. There was a claim that the club had interest in Columbus Crew stopper Patrick Schulte.
Then, it was suggested Wolves had sent scouts to watch Mile Svilar of AS Roma.
And most recently, Wolves are said to have taken a look at Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal.
It remains to be seen if the club will look to make any changes to their goalkeepers union this summer, but Liam Keen has provided some information regarding what the manager thinks about his current two…
Gary O’Neil believes the gap has shrunk between Jose Sa and Dan Bentley at Wolves
Sa has been firmly established between the sticks since he arrived at the club in a £7 million deal from Olympiacos in the summer of 2021.
The one-cap Portugal international has racked up 110 appearances for the club so far, and has done a decent job since coming in.
Bentley signed for Wolves in January 2023, arriving from Bristol City. He arrived to become the new number two after Matija Sarkic left, and he still holds that position.
Bentley remains behind Sa in the pecking order. But journalist Keen has said O’Neil feels the gap between the pair has gotten smaller in recent times.
Speaking in a new video over on Shots TV about whether Bentley could ultimately replace Sa as the number one, he said: “He was very clearly a number two when he arrived at the club. Gary O’Neil believes that that gap has closed a fair bit between the two.
“He’s probably not what Wolves need to move them forward. So if it was Jose Sa to move on and Dan Bentley to step up, from what we’ve seen you’d have to say no. But stranger things have happened in football. You never know, he might surprise us.”
Bentley has work to do to prove number one credentials
It is really interesting to hear that O’Neil feels the gap between Sa and Bentley has shrunk.
There is no doubt that Sa is the better goalkeeper overall. But Bentley has come in and had some decent performances in the number one’s absence.
He was poor earlier in the season against Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup. But Bentley has by and large given a decent account of himself since he came to the club – and he is very much a leader.
For the moment, it doesn’t sound like Wolves would be ready to replace Sa with Bentley as the number one if Sa did leave this summer. The 30-year-old has been linked with an exit a few times this season.
But as Keen says, you never know in football. Bentley could end up getting a run in the side and proving himself capable.