Nottingham Forest have reportedly expressed an interest in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Jose Sa.
New head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is on the lookout for a new goalkeeper as an upgrade on Matt Turner, who has been error-prone since his summer move from Arsenal, while another summer recruit Odysseas Vlachodimos hasn’t pulled up trees either when given opportunities. So, the Nottingham Forest manager feels the need to bring in a reliable shot-stopper in this ongoing transfer window to stabilise the backline.
According to Football Transfers, Nottingham Forest are set to revive their interest in Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa, as Nuno plans to reunite with his compatriot.
Jose Sa, 30, rejected Forest in the summer to sign a new contract at Wolves. He extended his stay at Molineux by signing a fresh four-year contract in September that also boasts a one-year extension option.
At the time, Wolves were looking to persuade as many players to extend contracts as possible with a view to eventually making a profit when they were sold. The Black County outfit are struggling to sign new players in this window because they are squeezed by FFP regulations, so they may be forced to sell some high-profile players to be able to bring in a few.
Jose Sa to Nottingham Forest—Good move?
Matt Turner has been enduring a difficult time at Forest, with poor distribution skills with his feet being exposed during regular Premier League outings. The USA international’s shot-stopping ability has never been questioned, but his distribution is causing problems at the City Ground—following his switch from Arsenal in the summer of 2023.
While Turner has started all three of Forest’s league games under Nuno, he has looked shaky and made a mistake in the 2-1 win over Manchester United. With Odysseas Vlachodimos also yet to truly convince during his limited opportunities, Nuno seems to have set his sights on Jose Sa.
Sa joined Wolves in a £6.25m switch from Greek side Olympiacos in 2021 as a then-replacement for fellow Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio. He has since made 95 appearances for Wolves. Before joining Olympiacos, the one-cap Portugal international spent three seasons with FC Porto where he played under Santo.
As Nuno knows Sa well since their time together at Porto, the Forest manager is keen to make the 30-year-old his No.1 at City Ground. Sa has decent Premier League experience under his belt and could provide a key foundation for Forest to build on with their recent wins over Newcastle United and Man United. The Portuguese will be an immediate upgrade on both Turner and Vlachodimos whilst bringing some much-needed calmness to the Forest backline.
Therefore, Forest must quickly lodge a bid to sign Sa from Wolves.