Celtic need a major clearout in the summer.
The last time that happened was in 2021, when Celtic signed a certain Josip Juranović from Legia Warsaw following Neil Lennon’s exit from the dugout.
Juranović wasn’t in Glasgow for long, but his performances were impactful, and you could argue that Alistair Johnston has taken things to another level.
After a season of injury frustration for Johnston, he is back on the field of play, including helping Celtic beat Rangers at the weekend.
When Lennon was discussing Johnston’s time in Glasgow so far, he couldn’t help but praise the Canadian star for how he has managed to fill the ‘big hole’ that was left by Juranović.
“When Juranović left, I thought that’s a big hole to fill,” said Lennon. “But Johnston has come in, and I think he has been exceptional.”
Name one Celtic player that the club should have never sold
Neil Lennon lauds Alistair Johnston’s importance to Celtic
For one reason or another, Celtic have had Johnston, Anthony Ralston, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Colby Donovan and Julian Araujo play in that right-back spot.
But after all of that, none of them stand ahead of Johnston, who is still Celtic’s undisputed right-back going forward.
It’s probably why Celtic won’t sign Araujo permanently because he simply isn’t needed, despite this Hoops squad needing to be cleaned out from top to bottom.
Nonetheless, when discussing Johnston’s importance to Celtic, Lennon told Sky Sports Football that his return is a ‘massive’ boost to Martin O’Neill.
“Listen, I am a huge fan of this player,” said Lennon. “He is just coming back from a long-term injury, and it’s a re-injury as well.
“When Juranović left, I thought that’s a big hole to fill. But he has come in, and I think he has been exceptional.
“He has got great athleticism. He is good on the ball. He loves a tackle. Last season, his connection with Kuhn was fantastic for Celtic, and he has been a huge miss this season.
“Having him back at this stage of the season, if he is fully fit, is a massive bonus for Celtic. Massive.”
How Johnston and Josip Juranović compare
Juranović is still at Union Berlin, after signing for the German club from Celtic for nearly £10 million in 2023.
Starting at left-back, the Croatia star wasn’t just versatile in defence, but also an expert penalty taker, perhaps something Johnston doesn’t have in his locker.
But Johnston’s consistency and leadership shine brighter than the man he replaced.
Either way, Celtic have been blessed to have two outstanding fullbacks take to Parkhead in recent years.
- Johnston’s games for Celtic: 119
- Starts: 115
- Goals: 7
- Assists: 23
- Clean Sheets: 52
- Total minutes played: 9,856
- Trophies won: 7
- Juranović’s games for Celtic: 53
- Starts: 48
- Goals: 6
- Assists: 3
- Clean Sheets: 26
- Total minutes played: 4,379
- Trophies won: 3
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