It was not a huge surprise to the fans when Mikey Johnston left Celtic this summer to join West Brom.
Despite his talent and cunning, the Irish winger was never able to establish himself in the starting lineup. Injury was undoubtedly a factor, though.
However, it is also undeniable that Johnston was never able to truly produce to the high levels required by Celtic whenever he got the chance.
During his recent loan stints at West Brom and Vitoria Guimaraes, Johnston twice demonstrated his skill as a football player.
Johnston, who is now a permanent member of The Baggies, revealed that he offered the Championship team “every chance” to sign him this summer.
Johnston “knew” he was going away from Celtic.
Throughout the summer, there was a lot of conjecture that Johnston would be leaving Celtic Park, with rumors circulating that a transfer to Sheffield United was imminent at one time.
However, West Brom got in there at the final minute and it looks like Johnston may have aided that process along significantly.
“I thought it was an outside chance – you know, the stuff with FFP and whatever,” Johnston said on BBC Radio WM.
“I tried to give West Brom every opportunity so it was possible to come back, even though it was really quite late.”
Johnston’s career after the Celts
Johnston will be missed by many Celtics supporters. Many do recognize that he is a really talented football player and that Parkhead wasn’t the right fit for him.
The deft winger’s deal was finalized the day before their last game before the international break, therefore he hasn’t made his West Brom debut yet.Johnston, who was left out of the Ireland squad for this international break, will be looking to start his domestic and Republic of Ireland career off to a strong start this weekend against Portsmouth.
Dane Murray, a Celtic loanee, is still improving after overcoming a string of injuries that hindered his early career.
Murray completed a loan transfer to Queens Park after spending time with the senior team of the Bhoys throughout the preseason. Since then, he has made three appearances for the Spiders without experiencing any fitness issues.
