Sam Johnstone

Sam Johnstone is a 33-year-old English goalkeeper currently at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, having joined the club in a transfer deal reported at around £11.9 million in August 2024. The move brought him back to the top flight after a spell at Crystal Palace, where he had established himself as one of the more reliable shot-stoppers outside the traditional elite clubs.

Johnstone has made 12 appearances this season, accumulating 1,080 minutes across the campaign, but the data from his last five matches tells a notable story: he has not started any of them. Wolves have faced Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Aston Villa in that run, picking up results that include a draw with Arsenal, a win over Aston Villa, and a goalless stalemate at Forest. His absence from the starting lineup across that stretch suggests a change in the goalkeeping hierarchy at Molineux, whether through injury, rotation, or a shift in the manager's preference.

His season average rating of 6.93 across those 12 appearances is a reasonable benchmark for a goalkeeper at a club that has spent much of the campaign fighting to stay clear of the relegation zone. Johnstone's career includes a Championship title, a Carabao Cup winners' medal, and a Europa League triumph, giving him a trophy cabinet that reflects experience at multiple levels of the game. His England international career, though not heavily capped, has kept him in the national conversation during periods when he was performing consistently at club level. SportSignals' AI analysis engine has tracked Wolves' matches throughout the season, noting the defensive volatility that has characterised several of their home fixtures.

With Johnstone currently out of the starting eleven, the key thing to watch in Wolves' upcoming fixtures is whether he returns to the lineup and how the goalkeeping situation at the club develops as the season enters its final stretch. His experience and the fee paid for him suggest the club views him as a significant asset, making any extended absence from the team worth monitoring closely.