It was evident in the January transfer window that West Bromwich Albion needed attacking reinforcements.
The Baggies are currently set for a place in the Championship play-offs come the end of the season – five points clear of seventh with nine games to go.
| Championship Table (As it stands March 11th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City | 37 | 41 | 82 |
| 2 | Leeds United | 37 | 40 | 79 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 37 | 25 | 78 |
| 4 | Southampton | 36 | 26 | 73 |
| 5 | West Brom | 37 | 21 | 63 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 37 | 12 | 58 |
| 7 | Hull City | 37 | 7 | 58 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 37 | 16 | 57 |
Carlos Corberan’s side have only lost three times in the second tier this calendar year and are unbeaten in their last five games.
Andreas Weimann arrived on loan from Bristol City, and has done well, whilst Callum Marshall has only played 55 minutes since his loan arrival from West Ham United but the January signing that has made an instant impact is Mikey Johnston.
Johnston needed West Brom opportunity
Johnston is a 24-year-old winger who joined The Hawthorns on loan from Scottish giants Celtic.
The Republic of Ireland international earned his Celtic debut in the 2016/17 season but has since struggled to make regular appearances for the club.
After mostly making substitute appearances, he spent last season on loan in Portugal with Vitoria de Guimaraes to obtain regular playing experience.
Former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou acknowledged Johnston’s talent and potential, stating: “There’s definitely a talented footballer there, but sometimes you just need a different environment to help that happen.”
He did well, scoring eight goals in 31 games, and returned to Scotland in the summer with the expectation of playing a larger role, but after only 12 appearances in the first half of the season, he was loaned to West Brom.
That has proven to be a tremendous move, as he has lit up the Championship.
Since joining West Brom, Johnston has been probably the club’s best player. He plays on the left wing and has six goals in nine league appearances, many of which are thunderous shots.
Cutting in from the left, his quick feet and excellent ball-striking ability have offered West Brom a genuine threat down that flank.
It has also provided them with a prolific goalscorer and matchwinner, something they lacked earlier this season. Brandon Thomas-Asante is the league’s top scorer, with nine goals (three more than Johnston).
| Mikey Johnston’s West Brom 23/24 stats (league only, as of 14/03/24, as per FotMob) | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 9 |
| Minutes | 516 |
| Goals | 6 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Successful passes per 90 | 24.8 |
| Pass accuracy | 81.6% |
| Successful crosses per 90 | 0.7 |
| Cross accuracy | 19% |
| Successful dribbles per 90 | 2.27 |
| Dribble success rate | 59.1% |
| Touches per 90 | 49.5 |
| Touches in opposition box per 90 | 3.49 |
The way Johnston has performed since his arrival will have surprised Celtic, and most certainly West Brom.
With six goals for the Baggies this season, he has already had his most productive season to date, with eight goals across both clubs. His second best season was in 19/20, when he scored six.
His performance will be bittersweet for Celtic, who could not have predicted him to have such an impact. If they had, they would very certainly have kept him at Parkhead to help them defeat Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title battle in the second half of the season.
It’s fantastic to hear he’s doing well, but their happiness may be tinged with sadness that they let him go and are now unable to contact him.
If West Brom had known he would be as successful as he has been, they would have pushed harder to include a buy option in his loan agreement, and they may now be upset that they were unable to do so.
Whether they are promoted or not, the Baggies must make a move to sign him permanently.
It’s unclear what it would take, but he obviously has the talent to shine in this division and possibly the top flight.
Getting him away from Celtic will be difficult, but it would be a statement signing for new West Brom owner Shilen Patel.
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