West Brom must be open to alternative Mikey Johnston, Celtic arrangement: View | OneFootball

It proved a masterstroke by West Brom to bring in Mikey Johnston on loan from Celtic in January.

Left-winger Johnston has been with his boyhood club since 2008, but has fallen out of favour at Parkhead and played just 12 games for the Bhoys in the last two seasons.

After a fruitful spell in the Primeira Liga with Vitora de Guimaraes in 2022/23, he featured sparingly under Brendan Rodgers at the start of the 2023/24 campaign and decided to join the Baggies in the January window on a loan deal until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old was nothing short of a huge success at The Hawthorns, becoming a key player under Carlos Corberan as they finished fifth in the Championship but were beaten by Southampton in the play-off semi-finals.

West Brom would undoubtedly want to bring him back on a permanent basis this summer, but if Celtic are reluctant to let him go, they should also explore the possibility of another loan deal as they seek promotion in the 2024/25 campaign.

Johnston was fantastic for West Brom

Republic of Ireland international Johnston would have been forgiven if he initially looked rusty and off the pace when he joined the Baggies on deadline day after only starting four games for Celtic in the first half of the season - but that was far from the case.

After two initial appearances from the bench against Birmingham and Ipswich, he scored with less than a minute on the clock on his first start for the club at home to Cardiff on February 13.

He soon netted his second goal to put the gloss on a 3-0 win away at Plymouth Argyle, before a brilliant scoring run saw him win the hearts of Baggies fans and help properly consolidate them in the play-off places.

His four goals in his first three games of March - including stunning solo strikes against Coventry and QPR and a brace at Huddersfield - won him the Championship Player of the Month award as he admitted that he had 'really enjoyed (his) time' at the club so far.

Corberan repaid his good form by starting him in the last nine games of the season, but Johnston could only net once more, the opener in a 2-2 away draw at Stoke City, as the club finished fifth.

He started both play-off games against Southampton as they drew 0-0 then lost 3-1 in the second-leg, but did produce one moment of magic in his final appearance as he delivered a pinpoint corner for Cedric Kipre to head home a late consolation.

Johnston improved the Baggies' general attacking play tenfold despite a slight drop-off at the end of the season, and was even playfully compared to Lionel Messi by boss Corberan in April.

Another loan deal makes sense for all parties

Regardless of his fantastic Baggies form, Celtic did not miss Johnston while he was gone and still won the Scottish Premiership by eight points for their 12th title in 13 seasons.

It is clear that Brendan Rodgers deemed him surplus to requirements in January, and there is little about his own side's impressive performance that would suggest that much change is needed this summer.

Celtic are unlikely to let Johnston go for good - he is still only 22 and has two years left on his contract - but a loan back to the Black Country makes sense if they want him to continue to play regularly at a good level, with a team that has found a place in his heart even in such a short spell.

He will have his own personal ambitions at international level with Ireland too, after he was called up to John O'Shea's first squad on May 28 off the back of his Albion spell, and will want to continue to play well somewhere to keep being picked.

With all things considered, a loan spell back at The Hawthorns would surely make sense for all parties involved, and West Brom should pursue it if Celtic do not want to cut permanent ties with Johnston just yet.