Sam Johnstone Joins Celtic on Loan from Wolves
Sam Johnstone has joined Celtic on a season-long loan from Wolves, with the move still subject to international clearance, as the Scottish champions add significant experience to their goalkeeping department.
The 33-year-old arrives with a heavyweight CV. An England international with four caps – and four clean sheets – Johnstone comes into a group that already includes Viljami Sinisalo and Ross Doohan, offering proven quality and serious competition in a key position.
Johnstone, who came through the ranks at Manchester United after joining the club in 2011, has spent the bulk of his career in English football. He has been at Wolves for the past two seasons and made 17 appearances for the Premier League side last term, sharpening the edge of a résumé that stretches across the top levels of the game.
Speaking to CelticPlayer after sealing the move, Johnstone made it clear how quickly the club’s pull had gripped him.
"It's a great feeling, I'm buzzing to be here and I'm excited to get going," he said. "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 phone call underlined what Johnstone already knew: this is a club where goalkeepers live under a fierce spotlight. That suits him just fine.
"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.
"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."
For Celtic, it is a move that bolsters both depth and pedigree in a single stroke. Manager Martin O'Neill hailed the arrival of a goalkeeper he believes is equipped to handle the demands of the club.
"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."
Celtic wanted pressure in the goalkeeping department. With Johnstone walking through the door, they have it – and a keeper who insists he thrives on exactly that.
