West Brom backed for permanent Celtic transfer on Mikey Johnston after Shilen Patel takeover
West Brom should be looking to sign Mikey Johnston on a permanent deal from Celtic this summer, according to Carlton Palmer.
The Irish winger has been a huge hit at The Hawthorns since arriving on loan in January and the pundit told Football League World on 9 March that he hopes the Baggies will have the finances to do a deal following the takeover by Shilen Patel.
The 24-year-old had a starring role in the incredible 4-1 comeback win at Huddersfield on Sunday (10 March), scoring twice and assisting another, to boost the argument for the Albion doing all the can to keep him around.
Palmer said: “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.”
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Prior to Patel’s buy out of Guochuan Lai going through there would surely have been little hope of signing Johnston permanently, even before he made such a telling impact.
Six Championship goals in nine appearances later his asking price has likely gone up already, if he is even available at Parkhead long-term.
Despite the long-awaited takeover there are still expected to be exits from Carlos Corberan’s squad this summer, and some could be high-profile if West Brom hope to make space to afford Johnston.
Players have come to The Hawthorns on loan before and excelled, only to disappoint after making their stay permanent, so there is clearly a risk.
But it is difficult to see what more the Hoops man could do to prove he would be worth the commitment, with his goals crucial in keeping the Baggies right in the thick of the play off hunt.
So if they aren’t looking to keep him in a couple of months time it would be a big surprise, not least if his contributions help take the club back to the Premier League.
In other West Brom news, another Baggies star has been backed for a major new breakthrough.
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