"Being brutally honest" - West Brom concern raised as Celtic set £6m Mikey Johnston stance | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Celtic have set a £6 million asking price for West Brom transfer target Mikey Johnston.

According to Football Insider, it will take £6 million to convince the Scottish giants to part ways with the forward on a permanent basis.

The Ireland international spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan with the Baggies, where he impressed with his performances.

Johnston contributed seven goals and one assist from 18 appearances in the Championship, helping Carlos Corberan’s side secure a play-off place (all stats from Fbref).

However, he is set to return to Parkhead for pre-season unless an agreement can be reached on a deal to keep him at the Hawthorns long-term.

Concern raised over £6 million Johnston fee

FLW’s West Brom fan pundit Matt Smith is unsure if a deal for Johnston can be justified at £6 million.

He believes a deal closer to £3 or 4 million would be more reasonable at this point, raising scepticism over whether the Baggies could afford to spend more than that on one player.

“£6 million is a big fee for any team in the Championship, regardless of if you have the ability to spend it,” Smith told Football League World.

“I don’t think we do, with the financials if I’m being brutally honest.

“The fee is probably too big as well for a player that’s never performed in the Scottish league, although has such potential at the same time.

“I’d say maybe £3 to 4 [million] might be a bit of a fairer number.

“Do I think I would like to see Albion pay £6 million as a statement of intent? I think purely making a signing as a statement of intent is the wrong way to go.

“Logic like that can lead you down a tricky situation, and I don’t think it’s wise to pay £6 million as a statement of intent.

“If they think it’s worth it, there’s more logic behind it.

“But it’s as simple as we don’t have the money, or can’t afford to spend the money, or that’s the only bit we can spend, could you not invest that across a few players instead of just the one?That might be the more sensible thing to do.

“I wouldn’t make the signing as a pure statement of intent, but if there’s logic that he is worth it then I’d be more inclined [to sign him] for that reason.”

Carlos Corberan's West Brom future

West Brom missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season, losing 3-1 to Southampton in the play-off semi-finals.

The Baggies will now be planning for another push for a top six finish in the upcoming campaign.

However, there is speculation surrounding Corberan this summer, which supporters will hope leads to nothing.

The Spaniard has been linked with a move to the likes of Burnley, who are searching for a replacement for Vincent Kompany after his move to Bayern Munich.

Johnston pursuit makes sense if it can be afforded

Johnston signing for West Brom is a deal the new owners should be looking to get to done, provided Corberan stays as manager, because he proved a great fit in the team last season.

It remains to be seen what kind of spending power the Baggies will have under the new owners, but they should be looking to back Corberan in the market in order to convince him to stay, as he has done excellently since taking charge of the club.

Signing Johnston could go a long way to helping keep the manager, as the 25-year-old was excellent last season.

West Brom should be eyeing a promotion push next year, and signing someone of Johnston’s quality will be key.