Alistair Johnston is reportedly a transfer target for Celtic.
The Canada international starred for John Herdman's Canucks as they pushed an under par Belgium all the way in their first World Cup appearance since 1986. Alphonso Davies missed a first half penalty before Michy Batshuayi netted the only goal of the game as Roberto Martinez’s side were fortunate to take all three points in their opening game.
Defender Johnston played on the right of Canada’s back three and it’s being reported Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou is thought to be a big admirer of the player. The Aussie further bolstered his backline earlier on Wednesday with the capture of Japanese defender Yuki Kobayashi on a pre-contract. He’ll join Celtic on the first of January after agreeing a five-year contract with the champions. Johnston signed for MLS outfit CF Montreal just under a year ago for £800,000. It’s likely celtic would need to shell out more than that to land him, and Montreal would be due a 10 per cent cut of any profit made over an above what they paid for the 24-year-old.
Postecoglou wants to bring in two players during the January transfer window and Kobayashi means it;s one down on that front. Johnston may not be a priority right now, but is seen as a potential long-term replacement for Josip Juranovic.
The Croat, who played in his country’s goalless draw with Morocco on Wednesday morning. Has been attracting interest from some of Europe’s top clubs. Should a sizable bid be made when the transfer window opens, Celtic would need to have a contingency in place if it were accepted, even if that doesn’t happen until the summer.
The rough and tumble of Scottish football should be no problem to Johnston, who honed his physical attributes by playing ice hockey as a kid. He told Canadian outlet Sportsnet: "I played hockey competitively in the winter and then soccer in the summer, and I was always known as a guy who loved to bodycheck and to hit guys. I’ve always loved the feeling of just laying someone out, as crazy as that sounds, and I just brought that attitude into soccer.
"I love a good tackle to this day. Nothing gets me more excited [than] if I get clattered into by an opponent or I clatter into him and it’s clean and the guy starts pushing me back. That’s something I just love.”
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