Three Premier League clubs – Roy Hodgson’s Eagles, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints and David Moyes’ Hammers – reportedly want Olympiakos goalkeeper Jose Sa.
If it sounds like we’re stating the obvious here, it’s probably because we are.
Barring some unexpected tactical shift that even the enigmatic Marcelo Bielsa might consider a little too outlandish, there will only be space in any team’s starting XI for just one goalkeeper.
So if Jose Sa doesn’t want to spend the next 12 months at least collecting splinters on the bench rather than shots in the box, then an experienced Portuguese goalkeeper needs to choose the right destination when the summer rolls around.
According to Estadio Deportivo, West Ham United want an Olympiakos glovesman with a £13 million release clause in his contract. The Hammers, SDNA claim, will face competition from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Southampton.
So the question is an obvious one; which of the three clubs is most in need of a new number one?
And which would be most likely to guarantee 27-year-old Sa the regular first-team football he will no doubt be demanding?
Considering that both Palace’s goalkeepers are well into their thirties, not to mention out of contract in just a year, Selhurst Park might be the best destination for a man who famously ousted Iker Casillas at Porto.
West Ham have David Martin, January signing Darren Randolph and the returning Lukasz Fabianski to choose from.
At Southampton, meanwhile, Fraser Forster could soon be on his way back on a sensational loan spell at Celtic to compete with the underrated Alex McCarthy and the much-maligned yet undoubtedly promising Angus Gunn.
Sa would be far from guaranteed a starting place at Crystal Palace (Vicente Guaita should have something to say about that).
But competition appears to be in shorter supply at Selhurst Park than it would be at the London Stadium or St Mary’s.
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