"What they should avoid" - West Brom facing summer Celtic transfer decision | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

As far as transfer dealings go, it would be fair to say that West Bromwich Albion masterminded one of the best in January when bringing in Mikey Johnston.

Johnston was always highly-rated as a youngster at Celtic, having made his debut as a raw 18-year-old back in May 2017, before going onto sign a contract extension imminently after the Bhoys' 4-1 success over St Johnstone.

Although he was full of promise to begin with and eased into first-team proceedings at Celtic Park, the truth of the matter is that the winger hasn't quite made the cut in the seven years which have followed, under a plethora of managers which include Rodgers' first spell, Neil Lennon and current Tottenham boss, Ange Postecoglu.

Mikey Johnston's immediate impact at West Bromwich Albion

During his only loan spell prior to joining West Brom, which came at Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes, Johnston claimed that he still had plenty to offer at Celtic, but after Rodgers' hard-hitting verdict back in November, which read "Mikey needs to do more, that is the reality. He's not young. He is 24. At some time you need to grab the bull by the horns and be aggressive," he's certainly taken those words on board in the Championship.

Six goals and one assist from just seven starts in ten appearances is a remarkable return for someone who needed a whole new lease of life in their career, and at 24, it would seem a necessity for Carlos Corberan and the Baggies hierarchy to already set the wheels in motion in regard to a permanent transfer in the coming weeks.

West Brom must target permanent Mikey Johnston move

Given his impact on Albion's form which has cemented their position in the play-off places, Football League World's writers have issued their thoughts on whether Johnston should remain in the West Midlands at the start of next season.

Benedict Ferraby

This seems a fairly obvious decision for the club to make, and given the new financial backing that's behind West Brom after Shilen Patel's takeover, the club should look to acquire Johnston's signature on a permanent basis ASAP.

He's fitted straight in to what was already a team full of exciting flair players going forward, and whilst being at a club such as Celtic for so long echoes his ability, I'm sure nobody could have foreseen the impact that Johnston has gone on to have with his goal contributions tally.

Not only has his return of six goals and one assist in a short period been ridiculous, but so has the calibre of his goals, none more so than the sublime effort at Queens Park Rangers, almost effortlessly cutting inside before firing a bullet right into the top corner.

He could be a real difference-maker in the play-offs, but regardless of whether West Brom reach the top flight or not, it's a no-brainer for all parties to achieve a permanent transfer in the summer. Johnston is currently under contract at the SPFL side until the summer of 2026, so his parent club still hold a reasonable amount of bargaining power, and given his exploits since making the temporary move, will no doubt drive a hard bargain with the Baggies.

Should Albion win promotion, then they will be operating within greater means in terms of a transfer budget, given the prize money on offer through winning the play-off final.

However, if I was to nail down a price point, I'd be reluctant to offer any more than £6-7m at the very highest, which would definitely drop to £4-5m if West Brom remained a second tier side, which would prove detrimental to their prospects of a permanent deal.

Ned Holmes

Mikey Johnston has proven a fantastic signing for West Brom and it would be a real statement move from new owner Shilen Patel to get a permanent deal done this summer.

The Celtic loanee has been so impressive that many have questioned why he was allowed to leave Parkhead in the first place but the fact that he was certainly opens the door for the Baggies to get a deal done.

It remains to be seen what it might cost and it's certainly frustrating for Albion that the better Johnston performs in the final months of his loan spell, the more they're likely going to have to shell out to sign him.

If West Brom win promotion to the Premier League then signing him permanently would be a no-brainer, if they don't then you have to wonder whether they might struggle to prise him away from Celtic permanently or lose out to a bigger club.

What they should avoid doing is blowing their whole summer budget on him - as good as he is. Somewhere around £3-5 million, including add ons, feels like a number that might work for both clubs.