Celtic have secured goalkeeping cover for their title defence by bringing Sam Johnstone to Glasgow on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The deal fills a significant void — Kasper Schmeichel, who had been first choice since the summer of 2024, retired in February after a shoulder injury, leaving the Scottish champions short of proven experience between the sticks.
Johnstone is 33 and earned four England caps, the last of which came in 2023. He made 17 appearances for Wolves last season but lost his starting place at Molineux in December — before Wolves were eventually relegated from the Premier League — and had not played since an FA Cup defeat to Liverpool in early March. A goalkeeper of that profile sitting idle until the summer suited Celtic's needs rather well.
The Schmeichel void
Schmeichel's retirement left Viljami Sinisalo, Finland's international keeper, as Celtic's only senior option. Sinisalo is young and relatively unproven at the top level, so manager Martin O'Neill moved quickly to add depth. O'Neill described Johnstone as "a quality keeper with excellent experience at the highest level" — the kind of straightforward endorsement that suggests this is a pragmatic signing rather than a marquee one.
Johnstone brings Premier League experience from spells at West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Wolves, as well as a career that started at Manchester United and included time at Aston Villa. That breadth of top-flight exposure is precisely what Celtic need around a younger stopper.
The Hart connection
One detail that stands out is the role former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart played in the move. Johnstone revealed Hart rang him personally to talk up the club — the fans, the dressing room, the size of the institution. "I didn't need convincing by anyone," Johnstone told Celtic's club media, "but Joe Hart rang me the other day just to reiterate what a place this is." It is a neat bit of recruitment from Celtic's end, using Hart's goodwill to smooth a deal that was already likely to happen.
Johnstone was characteristically direct about what attracted him: "The pressure to win, which is what I like — pressure to win, pressure to perform and we all want to win trophies." Whether he displaces Sinisalo as the outright number one or pushes him from close range, that competitive edge is what Celtic's goalkeeping setup has been missing since Schmeichel went down.
What it means for Wolves
From Wolves' perspective, a relegated side moving a goalkeeper who had already lost his place in the Championship transfer window makes obvious sense. Johnstone has a year remaining on his contract (the source does not specify exact terms, so that detail is assumed from the loan length), and loaning him out keeps wages manageable while allowing him game time that Wolves in the second tier could not guarantee.
Celtic open their Scottish Premiership campaign as defending champions. Adding a goalkeeper with 17 Premier League appearances last season — even if the second half of that campaign was spent on the bench — strengthens a squad that will also compete in Europe. On the evidence of this window, O'Neill is not leaving much to chance.
Frequently asked
- Why did Sam Johnstone join Celtic instead of staying at Wolves?
- Johnstone lost his starting place at Wolves in December and did not play again after an FA Cup tie in early March. With Wolves relegated to the Championship, a loan move to Celtic — where he can compete for a starting spot and win trophies — made more sense for his career than sitting on a second-tier bench.
- Who was Celtic's goalkeeper before Sam Johnstone arrived?
- Kasper Schmeichel was Celtic's first-choice keeper from the summer of 2024 until February, when a shoulder injury forced him to retire. That left Finland international Viljami Sinisalo as the only senior option, which is why Celtic moved for Johnstone.
- How many England caps has Sam Johnstone won?
- Johnstone has four senior England caps. He won the last of them in 2023.