Sam Johnstone Joins Celtic on Loan for Goalkeeper Battle

Sam Johnstone has stepped into the Glasgow spotlight, joining Celtic on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers as the Scottish champions reshape their goalkeeping department.

The 33-year-old former England international arrives to battle Finland’s Viljami Sinisalo for the number one shirt, bringing with him years of Premier League experience and a clear appetite for pressure.

“I’m buzzing to be here and I’m excited to get going,” Johnstone told club media, his first words as a Celtic player underlining exactly why the move appealed. He didn’t need a sales pitch, but he got one anyway from a familiar voice.

Joe Hart, who only recently vacated the Celtic goal, picked up the phone.

“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,” Johnstone revealed. That call, from one former England keeper to another, underlined the size of the role he is walking into.

Johnstone’s career has taken him from Manchester United’s academy to spells at Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace before his move to Wolves. He collected four England caps, the last of them in 2023, and made 17 appearances for Wolves last season. But his campaign stalled badly: he lost his Premier League starting place in December for a side that went on to be relegated and has not played since an FA Cup defeat to Liverpool in early March.

Now he gets a reset in Glasgow, at a club where the demand for trophies is non-negotiable.

“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,” he said. “And the pressure to win, which is what I like – pressure to win, pressure to perform and we all want to win trophies.”

That mentality is exactly what Celtic need after a turbulent spell between the posts. Kasper Schmeichel had been first choice since the summer of 2024, but the Dane’s season – and career – ended abruptly in February when a shoulder injury forced him into retirement. The void he left was as much about personality and presence as it was about shot-stopping.

Manager Martin O’Neill believes Johnstone can help fill it.

“He is a quality keeper with excellent experience at the highest level,” O’Neill said. “I think he will be a very good addition to our goalkeeping team.”

This is not a signing made just to sit on the bench. Celtic want a genuine contest. Sinisalo has impressed with his development and temperament, and the club see the 22-year-old as a long-term option. Johnstone knows he is walking into a tight unit, not a one-man show.

“I think everyone knows the goalie groups are a tight-knit group,” he said. “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.”

Competition, then, is guaranteed. So is scrutiny. At Celtic, every misplaced pass and every flap at a cross is magnified. Johnstone has chosen that environment deliberately, trading the uncertainty of life at relegated Wolves for the relentless expectation of a title defence, domestic cups and European nights.

He wanted pressure. Now he has it, wrapped in green and white.