One thing West Brom must regret about the January Celtic trade

Following a 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night, West Bromwich Albion strengthened their hold on the play-off spots.

Darnell Furlong and Alex Palmer were instrumental in the Baggies’ comeback, as the former QPR player skillfully cleared the ball off the line in the closing moments of the thrilling match, despite the Baggies being mostly second best.

Referee Geoff Eltringham was not able to identify any infraction despite Cedric Kipre appearing to use his hand to turn the ball over the crossbar during a goal line clearance.

With just 10 games left, Norwich City’s loss to Middlesbrough away from home has given the Black Country team a five-point lead inside the top six.

Albion’s recruitment during the January transfer window has helped improve the attacking aspects of the squad and maintained their promotion ambitions heading into the final run-in, albeit dealing with restricted financial resources prior to Shilen Patel’s complete acquisition of the club.

In-loan Since his arrival at The Hawthorns, Celtic player Mikey Johnston has shown very remarkable play. If he can carry on this goal-scoring run, West Brom may now regret not include a buyout option in his loan agreement.

Johnston joined B71 following Jeremy Sarmiento’s surprise move to Ipswich Town, and in his short time there, he has performed above expectations.

For the duration of the campaign, the 24-year-old has shown encouraging signs and has settled into life in the second tier with full ease.

The Glasgow-born wide player prefers cutting inside to create a chance or unleash a devastating strike with his better right foot. He can also glide away from people with his close control and lightning-fast pace.

With these attributes, Johnston has improved his goals total in games while wearing a blue and white shirt. He began his Baggies career with a confident inside-the-box finish against Cardiff City.

After that, the Celtic would register carbon copy strikes against Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle, nutmegging his marker and firing each shot into the upper right corner.

But against the R’s, the Republic of Ireland international would score his finest goal to date, even the score with a contender for goal of the season after cutting in from the left side and sending an incredible strike into the near corner off the inside of the post.

Johnston’s ability to perform such miraculous feats in such a short amount of time is getting very crazy, but after his last six Championship games, he now has four goals for the season.

The early going for Johnston’s tenure has left the Albion supporters in awe, and his additional goal source could prove to be crucial in helping West Brom get back to the Premier League.

It’s safe to say both Celtic and West Brom couldn’t have foreseen Johnston’s instant revelation in the Championship, but the Baggies will now be kicking themselves that they didn’t insert a buy option within the loan deal.

Despite investment likely to come in for West Brom from controlling shareholder Patel, Celtic have the choice of demanding whatever fee they like and that will continue to grow if Johnston maintains his excellent form.

Shilen Patel, the new owner of West Brom, should draw a cue from Birmingham City in order to avoid making any mistakes in the immediate aftermath of his takeover.

Albion may now lose out on acquiring Johnston permanently for the upcoming season due to the loan switch’s lack of a predetermined cost. This would be devastating for the team regardless of the tier they play in the following year.

Grady Diangana’s second goal of the game, which gave the side a point, came about as a result of Johnston’s incredible display of skill at QPR yesterday, which lifted Albion off the mat in West London.

The quality the Glaswegian possesses on the left wing has already gained Albion important results this season, and his departure may create a huge void for any prospective successor.

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