Mikey Johnston’s loan transfer to Vitoria Guimaraes took an unexpected twist when it was announced alongside a contract extension for the winger.
In December 2019 Celtic announced that Johnston had signed a new contract running until at least the summer of 2025.
With his Guimaraes deal running until May 2023 it seems strange that his Celtic contract was extended until 2026 at the same time.
At the age of 23 Johnston badly needs to get a full season of football on his CV, a mid-table club in Portugal gives him that opportunity on the back of Sead Haksabanovic and James Forrest making an impact of the bench against Ross County on Wednesday night.
Was summer 2022 Celtic's best ever transfer window?
Yes- we got virtually everything needed
No, lets see how things look in November
While Ange Postecoglou was keen to get others out the building when he has been asked about Johnston the emphasis has been on getting game time to develop his career.
On Saturday Guimaraes are away to Braga, hopefully Johnston gets involved to make a serious impact before resuming his Celtic career next summer.
1 year contract extension ?
1 year loan ????? An extended contract at #CelticFC for Mikey Johnston as our Bhoy embarks on a season-long loan to Portugal with Vitoria Guimaraes.
Good luck Mikey!? pic.twitter.com/rrI2UpWwBY
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) September 1, 2022
Well obviously Ange believes Mikey has a future at Celtic! He’ the guy calling the shots, right? It takes longer to develop a mid-fielder or a winger, so the option for both these players is a loan-deal. That gives them experience. True, we don’t have a coach capable of developing both these players. But that’s not Ange’s fault. Try higher up, where the ether meets money and it all goes a bit hazy. We could have had one in place, but we don’t! Management, right? Management dick-ass! When Rogers walked, for whatever reason, so did his coaches, Duff among them, right? He’d have been just the guy we’re looking for right now, right? To develop our wingers e.g. Johnston, Moffat, Montgomery. Going back, you could include Morgan, Shved, Frimpong etc. It’s all about key personnel, yeah? And that is a management function. Right?
We could do – and could have done with some joined-up thinking by the Celtic Board – over some time, I mean. It’s running a football Club after all. It’s not Rocket Science, is it? That big dope of a Chairman, Bankier, he’s a Mason, right? How else would Higgins have been considered for the Security Chief’s job? So here we have a guy who is Chairman of Celtic, who has his own very obvious vested interests, right? So, when he makes a decision, it is not necessarily in the best interests of the Club, right, because he has to consider all of his other ahem, “Interests” as well! And that will not not necessarily be in the best interests of the supporters, right? It may not even be in the best interests of the Club, even! But what he will certainly have to do is toe the line to Desmond because Desmond has the power to sack him. So, in the end, Desmond calls the shots. Maybe he just likes to give a bit of latitude to guys like our Chairman. Yes, to go ahead and express themselves, in their best possible professional terms!
Don’t forget that Bankier was the brains brains at the Club when we Lost the Ten Season. A handy one to drop, that. Especially if your pals are all Masons and think like you!
You’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d be fetted wherever you go – for the rest of your life even, if you could have pulled that one off! Well, Bankier seems to have, ahem, managed it, either inadvertently or otherwise!
I mean, Lawwwell, with the best of intentions is a Celtic man to the best of his accounting ability. He made a few quid for himself and for Celtic. I get that! But Bankier is a whole different kettle of fish.
Especially when we know where his soul is parked, and with an organisation we don’t fully understand but are warned to be wary of. Gets paid for the post, yes.
But there are fault lines there which are visible and could certainly do with some extra explaining! What about it Mr. Bankier?