Celtic have confirmed the signing of Sam Johnstone on a season-long loan from Wolves.
Martin O’Neill was believed to have pushed for the deal, with Celtic and Wolves working on a loan agreement that would see the clubs split the player’s wages at around 50/50.
Johnstone had been told he was not part of Wolves’ plans, opening the door for Celtic to move. The deal progressed quickly, with the goalkeeper travelling to Glasgow before completing the switch.
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Speaking to CelticPlayer after signing for the club, Johnstone said: “It’s a great feeling, I’m buzzing to be here and I’m excited to get going.
“I didn’t need convincing by anyone, but Joe Hart rang me the other day just to reiterate what a place this is, what a great group of lads and how the fans are unbelievable.
“Like I said, I didn’t need convincing, but for someone like that to ring me up and reiterate again the size of the club and what it means to people, it just made me so excited to get here and get started.”
Hart’s involvement is an interesting detail. The former Celtic goalkeeper clearly played a small part in reinforcing what Johnstone was already thinking, giving him a first-hand view of the club, the dressing room and the demands that come with playing in Glasgow.
Johnstone also made clear that he expects a healthy dynamic within the goalkeeping group.
“I think everyone knows the goalie groups are a tight-knit group,” he said.
“We work closely together every day and hopefully I can help Vil and he can help me, and we push each other and we support each other along with the other goalies and the goalie coaches.”
That will be important. Sinisalo has been building his case for the number one shirt, but Johnstone has not come to Celtic simply to make up the numbers. His experience gives O’Neill another serious option, and the competition should help both goalkeepers.
Johnstone added: “You hear about the size of the club, and you know about the size of the club, but just being here for a day, you notice how big the club is.
“And the pressure to win, which is what I like – pressure to win, pressure to perform and we all want to win trophies.
“You hear about the atmosphere at the stadium and that’s something I can’t wait to play in front of.”
Celtic had been looking at several goalkeepers across the window, but Johnstone’s availability created a clear opening late on.
The move gives O’Neill another experienced head in a key position, and it now sets up an interesting battle with Sinisalo as Celtic prepare for the next run of fixtures.
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