Sam Johnstone Joins Celtic on Loan from Wolves

Sam Johnstone has swapped the Premier League for the Glasgow goldfish bowl, joining Celtic on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 33-year-old former England international arrives to battle Finland keeper Viljami Sinisalo for the No 1 shirt at the Scottish champions, stepping into a department still adjusting to life after Kasper Schmeichel.

A fresh start after Wolves frustration

Johnstone’s move comes after a stop-start campaign at Wolves. He made 17 appearances last season but lost his Premier League place in December for a side that ultimately went down, and his last outing came in an FA Cup defeat to Liverpool in early March. Since then, he has been stuck on the sidelines.

For a goalkeeper who collected the last of his four England caps in 2023, that kind of inactivity bites. Celtic offer something very different: games, pressure, trophies – and a fanbase that demands all three.

"I'm buzzing to be here and I'm excited to get going," Johnstone told the club’s media, his first words as a Celtic player underlining the sense of escape as much as ambition.

Hart’s call and the pull of Celtic

Johnstone didn’t need a sales pitch, but he got one anyway – from a man who knows exactly what he is walking into.

"I didn't need convincing by anyone, but 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," he said.

You don’t spend long around Celtic before the scale of the place hits you. Johnstone felt it almost immediately.

"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.

"And the pressure to win, which is what I like – pressure to win, pressure to perform and we all want to win trophies."

That pressure is the point. After years of fighting relegation battles and scrapping for survival, he now walks into a dressing room where anything short of silverware is failure.

Filling the Schmeichel void

Celtic’s goalkeeping picture has shifted sharply over the past few months. Kasper Schmeichel, who arrived in the summer of 2024 and quickly established himself as first choice, played his final game in February before being forced to retire with a shoulder injury.

Since then, the gloves have effectively been up for grabs. Sinisalo has been the man in possession, but Johnstone’s arrival is designed to raise the standard and the temperature of the competition.

"I think everyone knows the goalie groups are a tight-knit group," Johnstone 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."

Manager Martin O'Neill made it clear this is not a vanity signing or a sentimental move for a familiar Premier League name.

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

A battle under the brightest lights

Johnstone started out at Manchester United, learning his trade in an environment where scrutiny is constant, before building his reputation at Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace. Now comes a different kind of spotlight.

Celtic offer him the chance to play for titles, to feel the weight of expectation every week, to hear the roar when a late save protects three points or keeps a European tie alive.

He wanted pressure. At Celtic, he will get it from the first whistle of his first game.