Sam Johnstone is delighted to be returning to the West Midlands after his deadline day move from Crystal Palace, with the goalkeeper happy to make Molineux his new home.
Having already represented three other clubs in the region, the England international has added Wolves to his list after signing a long-term deal at the club, with his move to the midlands also reuniting him with his former Aston Villa coach Neil Cutler, who is now in charge of the Old Gold’s goalkeeping department.
On joining Wolves
“I’m absolutely buzzing. I’m finally here, excited to get going and I can't wait to put on the shirt.
“I've got good memories from this area, so it's nice to be back up north. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it down south, it was a different adventure for me and my family, but being back up north, it is home, and I’m glad to be here in front of the Wolves fans.
“It's a massive club, from the outside looking in, it's a really good club, and I've noticed that for the first two days being here. I've also worked with Neil Cutler – the goalie coach – before, who I love working with, and it's time to keep going, keep improving, and play football.”
On first few days at the club
“It’s been good, very busy, I came up last night and did all the medical and stuff, but we wanted to get all that done so I could get on the pitch this morning. It’s been good, busy, but it's great to be here.
“Everyone's nice, everyone’s sound; staff, teammates, everyone around the training ground, so that's nice. It obviously helps you settle in quicker, and I just need to get used to names and faces with the staff around the training ground.
“I’ve just had little conversations [with O’Neil] of welcome, glad to have you here, and he's let me crack on and do what I need to do, which has been good. He’s obviously a very good manager and a very good person.”
On reuniting with Cutler
“I've worked with Cutts a few times, which is good, we know each other well for many years and he played a massive part.
“As a goalie coach and as a group of goalies, it’s always a tight knit group, and to know how he works, and to know that he wanted me in, along with the manager and the staff, then it was a no brainer for me, to come and work with people that want to improve you and want to work you.”
On bringing a wealth of experience to Molineux
“I’ve got many games behind me, good experience, and hopefully I can help the team. I can help team push forwards, and working with Cutts, I could see the way the team want to play, with some very, very good players, a young, good manager as well, it fit everything I wanted.
“I’ve obviously played here before with some different teams and the stadium we’re sat in here is unbelievable. When I've played here, the atmosphere has been great, and I'm excited for this to be my home and to play here in front of the crowd. So, I can't wait to get going again.
“The experiences that I had here are probably mixed a little bit, results-wise, but the atmosphere coming here and filling the stadium is something that I enjoy playing in front of. It's nice to now call it home.”
On ambitions with Wolves
“The ambitions are to push up the table. We obviously saw the results last year and how the team plays was really good.
“This season, I think is to go again and top that and keep pushing. I think that's everyone's ambitions, from everyone in the club, not to just survive in the Premier League, but to obviously compete, win games, and go to big teams and win games and finish as high as possible.”
