West Brom have been told to pay up and sign Mikey Johnston from Celtic. The Irishman has been a hit for the Championship side since arriving on a loan deal until the end of the season, providing a goal threat that has the Baggies’ support urging their club to make the deal permanent.
Speaking to Football League World, pundit Carlton Palmer admitted that he was surprised to see Celtic let Johnston go out on loan but that the club should make a move for the winger.
“I’m not surprised Celtic let him leave on loan, they have a lot of players at the football club, so some needed to get out to get game time, and this is what happens.
“You want a player to go out on loan, impress, which is what Mikey Johnston has done. He’s been absolutely sensational under Carlos Corberan and West Brom are punching above their weight in the play-off places, and finishing in the top six would be a fantastic achievement.
“Johnston is still under contract at Celtic, but it will be one of those at the end of the season where talks take place. I think West Brom should be looking to bring him to the club on a permanent basis.
“He’s become a fan favourite, and with Shilen Patel having taken over, hopefully in the summer, the manager will be afforded funds to bring in players to make sure West Brom can be in and around the automatic promotion places next season, should they not go up this season. And, one of those players the fans would certainly like to see at the football club is Johnston.”
Celtic could command £5m+ for the player plus a sizeable sell-on fee for the Academy graduate. Whilst it is clear that he is a talented player, it hasn’t worked out at Celtic for MJ and the best thing for him and the club would be to move on. The comments from Brendan Rodgers that the best winger at the club was James Forrest highlights how much work the recruitment team will require to do in the summer.
