Not many were surprised when Mikey Johnston and David Turnbull headed for the Celtic exit door on transfer deadline day.
It was clear as day, even though Brendan Rodgers had handed them starts earlier on in the campaign, they simply weren’t going to earn the minutes they wanted at Celtic, so they had to leave.
Mikey Johnston secured a loan move to Championship side West Bromwich Albion, whilst David Turnbull left permanently and signed a three-year deal with Cardiff City – Chris Sutton was critical.
On Saturday, the duo made their Championship debuts for their respective clubs by coming off the bench and picking up 1-0 wins each.
It was a 27-minute run out for David Turnbull, who is hoping to boost his Scotland hopes, against Watford, with his team now sitting 13th in the table and five points off the play-off picture.
Whilst Mikey Johnston played 28 minutes as West Brom, sitting fifth in the table, beat Midlands rivals Birmingham City 1-0.
It’s a positive start for the duo and given what they gave to Celtic, hopefully, the light is brighter further down the street.
Celtic were right to let Mikey Johnston and David Turnbull go
Amid cries from Rodgers for extra quality to be added, the players that are at the club and were on the fringes clearly didn’t take note.
This was Johnston’s chance. At the age of 24, he can no longer be seen as a prospect. The same for Turnbull, who after joining from Motherwell in 2020, suffered untimely injuries and just couldn’t find that consistent run.
It was a shame how it ended with the five-cap Scotland star because it’s clear that he has the ability to score goals from the middle of the park.
Perhaps he will find that form and consistency at Cardiff because the pressure isn’t going to be huge and the Bluebirds will allow him to make mistakes and continue to develop.
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