"A massive signing" - Pundit reacts to Sheffield United, Mikey Johnston news | OneFootball

Sheffield United are closing in on a deal for Celtic's Mikey Johnston, which Carlton Palmer believes is a superb signing.

Sheffield United will be looking for an immediate return to the Premier League this season.

The Blades endured a difficult campaign in the top flight last season and were sent straight back down to the Championship, but the belief will now be that they can achieve another promotion.

If their first three league games are anything to go by, it may be a tougher season than they expected, as they have been held to two draws from those three games. Their one league win so far came against a Preston North End side who sacked Ryan Lowe just days later.

Aside from their win over Preston, they have been held to a 2-2 draw against QPR and a 1-1 draw against Norwich City. They were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday to League One Barnsley, so they will be looking to return to winning ways immediately if they are hoping for promotion to the Premier League.

There are just a couple of days now until the transfer deadline, and Chris Wilder will be hoping the club can secure a deal or two in order to ensure his squad is strong in depth.

Their summer window so far has been rather eye-catching, with the likes of Callum O'Hare, Kieffer Moore, Harrison Burrows and Jesuran Rak-Sakyi all linking up with the Blades this summer, but it looks as though more money is about to be spent on reinforcements.

Sheffield United closing in on Mikey Johnston deal

According to Alan Nixon via Patreon, Sheffield United have agreed a deal worth £2.5 million for Celtic's Mikey Johnston. The Blades reportedly beat fellow Championship club, Burnley, to his signature.

Sheffield United's Gustavo Hamer has found his name in the transfer headlines recently, with Leeds United seeing a bid for him rejected, so if Johnston does come in, that will alleviate some of the pressure on Sheffield United to battle off any Hamer interest.

Johnston has been on the books at Celtic since 2008 and has been in and out of the first team since the 2016/17 campaign. He has never really managed to nail down a place in Celtic's starting eleven over the years, so the Irishman spent the second half of last season on loan at West Brom.

He made 15 league starts on the left wing for the Baggies, scoring an impressive seven goals to help the side reach the Championship play-offs. His performances in the second tier last season made him a fan favourite at the Hawthorns, but it now seems that Johnston is on his way to a promotion rival in Sheffield United.

Carlton Palmer approves of the deal

Johnston has proved his worth in the Championship in such a short amount of time, so on paper, it would be a fantastic signing for the Blades. Former England international and current pundit, Carlton Palmer, spoke exclusively to FLW on the latest developments at Bramall Lane.

"If Mikey Johnston produces the form that he produced whilst on loan last season at West Bromwich Albion... this is a shrewd bit of business at £2.5 million."

"West Brom will be absolutely frustrated by this, but at the end of the day, they couldn't compete with the money and the salary that Sheffield United were prepared to pay. It's a great signing for Sheffield United. They've got him in at the right price."

"If Leeds United come back and make an offer for Gus Hamer and he departs the football club, they've got a good player at a bargain price." "He picks up the run, he's very, very attack-minded, and he's a very exciting player. I believe Chris Wilder has come out and said that he's extremely pleased to have captured another winger who can partner Jesuran Rak-Sakyi on the other wing."

"It's a very good bit of business. He adds pace, he adds creativity, so it's a massive signing for Sheffield United, and again Chris Wilder has done good business in the summer window. We expect them to be pushing for automatic promotion."