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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly planning a bid for a player Wolverhampton Wanderers only signed four months ago.
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Sam Johnstone could depart Wolves this January as fellow Premier League side Tottenham are reportedly interested in acquiring his services.
Bought from Crystal Palace for £10 million in the summer transfer window, Johnstone arrived at Molineux as a decent option to rotate with Jose Sa. Gary O’Neil, then Wolves manager, insisted at the time that there was no clear number one goalkeeper and that turned out to be true as the game time has been shared this term.
Sa is the preferred option for new head coach Vitor Pereira but Johnstone has made seven Premier League appearances of his own in 2024/25. It’s not been an overly successful start for the 31-year-old, however, as he’s conceded 17 times in those seven outings and failed to preserve a single clean sheet.
Johnstone may not have to warm the bench at Wolves for much longer as Tottenham are interested in signing him, according to a report from TBR Football. It’s claimed Spurs have identified Johnstone as a target to start in the absence of Guglielmo Vicario, who is not expected to return from his serious ankle injury until at least March.
Fraser Forster has deputised for Vicario between the sticks for the past eight Premier League matches but the 36-year-old has only kept one clean sheet and has conceded 15 goals. Spurs want another senior option to step in if possible, especially with Forster’s contract set to eclipse on June 30 of this year.
Wolves make Sam Johnstone call amid Spurs interest
The report from TBR Football claims the Old Gold are willing to let Johnstone go despite only welcoming him to the club a matter of months ago. As long as Wolves can make a profit and are able to source a replacement, they would be up for cashing in. The latter point is less urgent, though, with Daniel Bentley a decent alternative already on the books.
Wolves can expect an update in their inbox soon as Tottenham are now ‘exploring a deal’ to bring in Johnstone on loan with an option to buy. It awaits to be seen if Wanderers would agree to those terms but that’s what Spurs are looking to set out as they seek a solution to their poor defensive form.
Currently down in 11th in the Premier League, Tottenham have conceded 28 goals at the halfway stage of the campaign. Out of the teams in the top half, only Aston Villa (31) have let in more. Even the likes of AFC Bournemouth (23) and Fulham (25) boast superior defensive records than Spurs.
It’s not all down to Forster, of course, as Vicario was also susceptible to conceding due to Ange Postecoglou’s gun-ho attacking system. A high back line is always risky and can lead to some devastating scorelines, no matter the goalkeeper between the sticks.
There are still some contrasting figures between Vicario and Forster, though, with Tottenham’s first choice shot-stopper conceding 1.08 goals per 90 minutes this season. For comparsion, Forster has let in 2.14 per 90. Johnstone’s figure stands at 2.43, but he does of course have an inferior defence in front of him.