Heart of Midlothian fans are bracing for the possibility of Alistair Johnston's departure as Everton prepares an attempt to poach the Canadian full back. Johnston's departure would be a significant loss for the Hoops, who are still reeling from the capture of Kasper Hogh on the back of Daizen Maeda's departure.
What happened?
Heart of Midlothian's Alistair Johnston transfer stance is under scrutiny as Everton prepares an attempt to poach the Canadian full back.
Why it matters for Heart of Midlothian
Johnston's departure would be a significant loss for the Hoops, who are still reeling from the capture of Kasper Hogh on the back of Daizen Maeda's departure.
What comes next?
The Hoops are bracing for farewell bashes for Reo Hatate and Arne Engels, but Johnston's departure would be a heck of a body blow.
Currently sidelined: Stephen Kingsley, Alexandros Kyziridis. The Hoops are still well short in key areas despite the capture of a couple of strikers. They need a minimum of one new winger, at least two midfielders – maybe more with expected departures – another centre back, a back-up left back and a keeper to challenge Viljami Sinisalo. That's a fair shopping list.
Johnston is a big character in the Celtic dressing room but an even bigger presence on the pitch. He's come a long way too. Johnston was an instant success after surviving a red-hot debut at Ibrox in January 2023. He was still raw as a pound of mince back then, particularly going forward. Ange Postecoglou and then Brendan Rodgers brilliantly applied a bit of Brasso to help the right back shine.
Johnston's aggression was made for Scottish football and despite his nice guy image off the field, he is a monster on it. He is comfortable as an orthodox, overlapping full back or in an inverted role, which has made him so important to the way Celtic attack. It's no coincidence Celts were more of a threat towards the end of last season when he was back in business. Little wonder Hoops fans love him and have earmarked him as a future captain. But there was always a chance others would take notice – and the World Cup has only fired Johnston onto the wish lists in the top five leagues in Europe. Martin O'Neill must have been hiding behind the couch when the Canada star was at his barnstorming best in his homeland. His value might've rocketed but raking in fortunes won't help a manager who might see him as irreplaceable. That's where this might get interesting. Johnston has done three-and-a-half years in Glasgow and he's 27 now. He's at the optimum time to cash in. But can Celtic afford to? The Hoops are still well short in key areas despite the capture of a couple of strikers. They need a minimum of one new winger, at least two midfielders – maybe more with expected departures – another centre back, a back-up left back and a keeper to challenge Viljami Sinisalo. That's a fair shopping list. Losing Johnston now on top of it would be a heck of a body blow. The good thing for Hoops fans is the word from inside Parkhead is they neither need nor want to sell Johnston right now. There's a Champions League qualifier on the horizon for a start and he will be needed big time. It's also dubious whether Everton are going to get to the figure that would make it worth Celtic's while to sell.
