Sam Johnstone Joins Celtic on Loan from Wolves

Sam Johnstone has swapped the Premier League for Glasgow, joining Celtic on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers as the Scottish champions reshape their goalkeeping department.

The 33-year-old former England international arrives to compete directly with Finland’s Viljami Sinisalo, stepping into a role that has carried real weight in recent years, from Joe Hart’s leadership to Kasper Schmeichel’s brief but influential stint.

A fresh start after Wolves frustration

Johnstone’s move comes after a stuttering campaign at Wolves. He made 17 appearances last season but lost his Premier League starting spot in December for a side that ultimately went down, and he has not featured since an FA Cup defeat to Liverpool in early March. For a keeper who collected the last of his four England caps as recently as 2023, the bench has felt like a waste of prime years.

Now he walks into a club where the expectation is crystal clear: win, every week.

"I'm buzzing to be here and I'm excited to get going," Johnstone told club media, his first words as a Celtic player underlining the sense of release after months without competitive action.

He knows the scale of the move. Raised at Manchester United and tested in the pressure cookers of Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace, Johnstone has seen demanding fanbases before. Celtic is another level again.

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

Hart’s call and a new goalkeeping union

Johnstone admitted he hardly needed persuading, but one phone call still cut through.

"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."

Hart’s endorsement matters. The former England No 1 rebuilt his own career at Celtic, becoming a dressing-room pillar and a title-winning goalkeeper. That experience, passed on in a single conversation, helps explain why Johnstone talks so openly about embracing pressure rather than dodging it.

He also stressed the importance of the tight, daily grind of the goalkeeping group.

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

The message is clear: this is not a ceremonial signing. It is a contest.

Filling the void left by Schmeichel

Celtic have been adjusting since Kasper Schmeichel’s abrupt exit from the stage. The Dane, who arrived in the summer of 2024, had established himself as first choice before a shoulder injury forced him to retire, his last appearance coming in February.

That left a gap not just in goal but in experience and presence. Johnstone, with his Premier League mileage and international background, has been brought in to plug exactly that.

Manager Martin O'Neill did not hide his satisfaction at securing him.

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

The stakes are familiar: domestic dominance to defend, European standards to hit, a new No 1 shirt effectively up for grabs. Johnstone arrives talking about pressure, trophies and competition. Celtic’s season will reveal whether those words turn into the kind of performances that make a loan spell impossible to ignore.