Sam Johnstone 'not happy' as new Celtic plan revealed
Sam Johnstone hopes to compete with Viljami Sinisalo for a place in the starting XI at Celtic, sources have told Football Insider.
The 33-year-old joined Martin O'Neill's side on loan from Wolves earlier this week as part of their plans to add depth to the squad in the closing stages of the window.
A new goalkeeper has been near the top of Celtic's list since Kasper Schmeichel's departure at the end of last season, and they have finally got their man.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, Johnstone is not going to be happy to play backup to Sinisalo and wants to challenge for his place.
Sinisalo has started the season as O'Neill's first-choice shot-stopper and has turned in some impressive performances, as he did in the closing stages of last season.
However, Johnstone's arrival is set to put pressure on his position, and has added greater strength in depth to what was a weak area of the Celtic squad.
Why did Celtic want to sign Sam Johnstone?
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Johnstone was being eyed for a return to Old Trafford as multiple clubs had him on their list.
Celtic eventually emerged as the leading contenders for his signature and got a deal over the line, with sources at Parkhead confirming the club are pleased with the deal.
Despite having fallen out of favour at Wolves, Johnstone remains very highly regarded and was an England international as recently as 2024, as he aims to kickstart his career at Celtic.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "Sam Johnstone's arriving hoping that he can get that number one spot off Sinisalo, he's not happy playing backup.
"Obviously, Sinisalo's got it right now. He started the season and obviously ended the season last year with Celtic as the number-one goalkeeper.
"So Johnstone will have to wrestle that shirt off Sinisalo, but I'm sure he will be hopeful that he can do that after joining from Wolves.
"You've got to remember it's not that long ago that Sam Johnson was an England goalkeeper as well. He's still a quality goalkeeper and I'm sure Johnston will back himself to come in and really fight for that spot."
Is Johnstone capable of being Celtic's first-choice goalkeeper?
Johnstone's ambitions of challeniging for the number-one spot under O'Neill have been inspired by his move away from what was a difficult spell at Wolves.
However, questions have been asked about his quality as a result of that spell, where he was part of the Wolves squad who suffered relegation from the Premier League.
Football Insider reported on 28 August that Johnstone's stats are concerning, while his injury record in recent years has also raised a number of red flags.
Overall, the goalkeeper has missed a combined total of 29 matches for both Crystal Palace and Wolves due to injuries since the 2023-24 season.
Johnstone had to undergo shoulder surgery at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, ruling him out of the final matches, but he will hope of a return to full fitness this season.