Martin O’Neill has made clear that Sam Johnstone has arrived at Celtic to compete directly for the No.1 jersey rather than simply provide cover for Viljami Sinisalo.
The England-capped goalkeeper joined Celtic on a season-long loan from Wolves at the start of September, with CeltsAreHere reporting before the move that significant groundwork had already been done.
Johnstone was open to the move and, once the clubs found an agreement over his wages, the 33-year-old completed his switch to Glasgow.
O’Neill said competition between his goalkeepers is exactly what he wants.
He said: (TCW), “Sam is here to battle for the No. 1 spot, which is no bad thing.
“Goalkeepers should be no different to any position, they should be under pressure.
“I think he will be a good acquisition for us and he will want to get back in the limelight again. Sam is 33 and is a child in goalkeeping terms. He wants to get his career up and running again, and if he gets an opportunity, he has to take it.”
The deal eventually moved quickly, with Celtic agreeing a loan with Wolves before Johnstone travelled to Glasgow for his medical.
It was also understood that the two clubs had reached an arrangement over his Premier League-level wages, with Celtic and Wolves splitting the cost roughly evenly.
Sinisalo has held the gloves so far, but O’Neill’s comments leave little doubt that Johnstone has not been brought in simply to sit behind him.
If Johnstone gets his chance, he has to take it and make himself hard to drop.
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