Sporting director Matt Hobbs believes Sam Johnstone “ticks all the boxes” after the goalkeeper became Wolves’ latest new arrival.
The 31-year-old brings both Premier League and international experience to Gary O’Neil’s group and a hunger to fight for the number one jersey at Molineux. The sporting director has been a long-time admirer of the England international and
he says the opportunity to add quality on the pitch and a character off it made the capture a simple one for the Old Gold.
On bringing Johnstone to Wolves
“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. We talked about some Premier League experience within the group, it doesn’t really matter what position that is, and we're excited to have him here.
“It's been a strange market, an ever-evolving market, and the goalkeeper market has been really interesting with Sam and a couple of other names being available and circulating. 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.”
On signing an England international
“He would have been at the Euros with England had he not had the surgery on his on his bicep. I think it's just a good opportunity. He’s at a good age - goalkeeper comes to their prime a bit later - and what happens from here will be up to the boys in the building. For us to be able to add someone like that is valuable for us.”
On suiting the culture
“He’s a good northern boy who will fit in really well. It’s good to have another homegrown one. There are no negatives to it, off the pitch or on the pitch. 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.”
On his hunger to impress
“I think it's been frustrating for him. Obviously, he was Palace’s number one. They brought in a big money signing goalkeeper and there was probably a dynamic there where there might be some pressure to get Henderson into the team, and obviously Sam kept his place.
“Then I think probably this opportunity was aligned for them. We’ve been aware of Sam and admired him for some time. I know his agent well and he’s always asked if we’d be interested in Sam. This has been coming in some way or another for a while.”
On having competition for places
“I think it's the same as every other position on the pitch. You don't have two midfielders when you want to play two, you have four or five, and they scrap it out. I think a squad and a team is in a much better place when there's real competition for every place. Dan will want to be part of that conversation as well.
“I don't think it's a shootout, so to speak. Three will want to compete for that. I know a lot will be made of it because Sa’s here, but if we can add such an experienced player, who is homegrown and knows the league, and it makes the whole group more competitive, then we wouldn't turn that down in any other position, so why do we turn that down with a goalkeeper?”
