Celtic winger Mikey Johnston has been linked to Sunderland as a possible summer transfer destination.
Despite his inability to consistently contribute to the Hoops, the academy product has made 92 appearances for the Premiership team he began his career with. He moved on loan in January to West Brom in the English Championship, as minutes under Brendan Rodgers appeared to be restricted.
Even though he will only be at the Hawthorns until the end of the season, Baggies supporters are already pleading with him to stay. With six goals in nine appearances, he has shined, sparking conjecture about what might happen next.
Analyst Carlton Palmer believes that Celtic might demand up to £3 million for Johnston, and that Sunderland would be the perfect place to send him. Norwich City has also been mentioned in passing. “Mikey Johnston has maintained his flying time at West Brom since he signed on loan in the January transfer window,” the former England and West Brom midfielder told Football League World. “He scored his sixth goal for West Bromwich Albion in their last win against Huddersfield Town.”
“He’s had an incredible experience since coming on loan from Celtic.” Yes, a lot of teams will be watching how he plays, so you should keep an eye out for teams that are considering players who are leaving, like Jack Clarke and [Jon] Rowe, who will be leaving, and Mikey Johnston, who might be a replacement.
Due of “insane” pay claims made against a Rangers player, two Celtics studs were unable to secure new contracts.
Due of “insane” pay claims made against a Rangers player, two Celtics studs were unable to secure new contracts.
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What is the value of the Celtic and Rangers squads? rivals ranked against 20 SPFL clubs, demonstrating the glaring difference
“But he’s enjoying his football there and is having a great time at West Brom.” As long as he stays under contract with his parent club, Celtic, he won’t have to pay any fees, therefore it’s unclear if West Brom could afford him now that they have new owners.
“But given his stellar play for West Bromwich Albion, Norwich, Sunderland, and other potential Championship clubs will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on the issue.” Johnston won’t fit into Sunderland’s strategy of trying to acquire young players at a low cost, in my opinion, since Celtic would likely be looking to pay at least £2 million or £3 million for him given his performance in the Championship.
“We’ll see at the end of the season, but he’s definitely done excellent things at West Brom and [is] drawing a lot of interest, so whether Sunderland have the money to pay that, Norwich do have the money to pay for Mikey Johnston.”
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