Celtic are the winners from £3m West Brom transfer right now | OneFootball

West Brom's decision to pay £3m to Celtic for Mikey Johnston is one they may regret as he has failed to find the net this season.

When West Brom secured a deal to sign Mikey Johnston on a permanent basis this summer, it seemed like a fantastic bit of business by the club.

The Ireland international had spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan at The Hawthorns, where he established himself as an important figure in Carlos Corberan’s XI.

Johnston helped Albion to a top six finish, and whilst they would ultimately lose out over two legs to Southampton, the winger will have been pleased with his contribution in that period.

Mikey Johnston move looked like a good deal for West Brom

In total, Johnston managed seven goals and two assists in 20 appearances, which was an excellent return.

And, that didn’t tell the whole story, as Johnston was a joy to watch, with many of his seven goals coming due to outstanding individual brilliance.

Therefore, when it was announced that Albion had agreed a £3m fee to sign the player from Celtic, it looked like a shrewd bit of business.

Albion were getting a player who had proven he could adapt to Corberan’s methods, he had shown his class in the Championship, and at 25, Johnston should be entering his peak years. So, it was a coup, and the fact they had beaten Burnley, a promotion rival, to his signature was an added bonus.

Mikey Johnston hasn’t rediscovered his best form at West Brom this season

Yet, for whatever reason, Johnston has failed to hit those heights this season, along with the rest of the Albion team.

Whilst they are unbeaten in ten, they have drawn nine games in that period, which is quite incredible, and it means they have lost ground in the race for promotion, with Corberan’s side now outside the play-off places.

Of course, it’s a team problem, but the fact Albion are drawing so often shows they are still very competitive.

So, the issue is that they are lacking that killer instinct in the final third, and Johnston has to take some of the responsibility for that.

After 14 games, he has failed to find the back of the net, and he has managed just one assist.

For a £3m signing, that’s not good enough, and it’s more worrying when you consider that Johnston has already shown he can deliver at this level.

It’s not like Corberan has changed his approach, so it’s strange that there has been such a drop-off from the ex-Celtic man, and, as of now, the Scottish champions are looking like the big winners of this deal.

During his time in Scotland, Johnston couldn’t find a level of consistency, but many thought that the expectation of playing for Celtic, and not getting a regular run in the side contributed to that.

Mikey Johnston can still become a key player for West Brom

The player will argue he hasn’t had a proper run in the XI this season, with only five starts to his name, but he needs to do more when he is out on the pitch.

An xG of 0.62 and an average of 0.2 shots per game indicate that Johnston is not the goalscoring threat he was last season.

Clearly, Albion’s problems right now run deeper than one player, but if Corberan’s side want to start climbing the table, they need to start turning these draws into wins.

To do that, certain individuals need to step up, and Johnston certainly falls into that category.