Celtic Sign Sam Johnstone on Loan from Wolves
Celtic have moved to strengthen their last line of defence, bringing in England international goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a season-long loan from Wolves, subject to international clearance.
The 33-year-old arrives with serious pedigree. A product of Manchester United’s academy, Johnstone has spent more than a decade in English football, building a reputation as a reliable, technically sharp keeper. He joins a goalkeeping group that already includes Viljami Sinisalo and Ross Doohan, adding experience, presence and genuine competition.
Johnstone has spent the past two seasons at Wolves, making 17 appearances last term. On the international stage, he owns four England caps and four clean sheets – a flawless record that underlines the level he has operated at.
"It's a great feeling, I'm buzzing to be here and I'm excited to get going," he said. The decision, he stressed, needed no sales pitch, though one voice on the phone did add extra weight.
"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."
Johnstone also pointed to the tight bond that usually forms among goalkeepers, and made it clear he is arriving to both compete and contribute.
"I think everyone knows the goalie groups are a tight-knit group. 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."
Even after just a brief introduction to life at Lennoxtown, the scale of the move has hit him.
"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."
Manager Martin O'Neill welcomed the signing and underlined why Celtic have moved for a keeper of Johnstone’s profile.
"We are really happy to welcome Sam to Celtic," O'Neill said. "He is a quality keeper with excellent experience at the highest level and I think he will be a very good addition to our goalkeeping team.
"He is really looking forward to joining Celtic, to add competition to our team and we are pleased to bring a goalkeeper of this quality to the club."
A proven international with a point to prove, stepping into a club that demands trophies and thrives on pressure. Johnstone knows exactly what he’s walking into. The real question now is how quickly he can turn that anticipation into decisive saves in front of a full house at Celtic Park.
