Following an excellent start to their campaign, Celtic are reportedly set to reward one player with a bumper new deal to put him among Brendan Rodgers’ highest earners.
Celtic’s perfect start
With five wins from five games and just the one goal conceded, it’s fair to say that Celtic couldn’t have enjoyed a much better start than the one they’ve managed in pursuit of retaining their Scottish Premiership crown once again. The Bhoys have even already got one over on Old Firm rivals Rangers, easing past the Gers in a convincing 3-0 victory.
Rodgers’ side will now be tasked with picking up where they left off after the international break, with the return of the Champions League – and a new format at that – throwing up fresh challenges.
Amid that challenge, meanwhile, one player is already set to receive a reward for such a fine start to the campaign. According to Football Scotland, Celtic are now set to offer Alistair Johnston a new deal which will see him become one of the club’s highest earners.
As things stand, the right-back earns a reported £17,000-a-week at Celtic, but a new deal could see him jump up to around the £30k-a-week mark with highest-earner Callum McGregor earning a reported £32k-a-week.
The pay rise is more than deserved, it must be said, Johnston has enjoyed a flying start to the campaign, starting every game in Celtic’s dominant opening run and even getting a goal as well as an assist to his name in the process.
“Strong” Johnston will only get better
Since battling back from injury at the start of last season, Johnson has become more and more vital to Rodgers’ title-winning side at Celtic and is only likely to continue that improvement with a new contract to match his quality. The full-back, who can also play right-midfield and centre-back proved his eye for attacking contributions in the last campaign with seven assists in all competitions and is now even showcasing his eye for goal against St. Mirren.
Earning plenty of praise from Rodgers last season, the Celtic boss said via Herald Scotland: “I remember seeing him at the World Cup. He was outstanding for Canada. I thought at the time when he arrived in January it was a really good buy for Celtic.
“He’s a talented player and you get the sense from talking to him he’s very ambitious and committed. He wants to do well. It’s just been a real shame with the injury he’s had that he’s been out. But Alistair is a really strong boy and speaking to the staff and the players, he’s really highly rated here. I’m looking forward to seeing him more.”
When the Premiership returns, there’s no doubt that Johnston will be among the in-form players to watch at Celtic Park.
