Sam Johnstone has joined Celtic from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan, giving Martin O’Neill’s side added experience and competition in goal.
The 33-year-old England international will challenge Viljami Sinisalo and Ross Doohan for a place in the Scottish champions’ side. The move remains subject to international clearance.
Johnstone made 17 appearances for Wolves last season before losing his Premier League starting place in December. He has not played since the club’s FA Cup defeat by Liverpool in early March and underwent shoulder surgery during the summer. ([onefootball.com.br](https://onefootball.com.br/en/news/celtic-delighted-to-welcome-sam-johnstone-to-the-club-43388302?utm_source=openai))
The former Manchester United academy player joined Wolves from Crystal Palace in 2024, having also played for Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion. He has won four England caps, keeping clean sheets in each of his international appearances. ([wolves.co.uk](https://www.wolves.co.uk/teams/mens-first-team/sam-johnstone/?utm_source=openai))
Johnstone said he was “buzzing” to arrive at Celtic and welcomed the chance to work alongside Sinisalo and the club’s other goalkeepers.
“You hear about the size of the club, and you know about the size of the club, but just being here for a day, you notice how big the club is,” he told Celtic’s media channels.
He added that Celtic’s demand for success was one of the attractions of the move, saying he liked the “pressure to win” and the expectation of competing for trophies.
Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart also contacted Johnstone before the move, with the new signing saying Hart had spoken warmly about the club, its supporters and the dressing room.
O’Neill said Johnstone was “a quality keeper with excellent experience at the highest level” and would be “a very good addition” to Celtic’s goalkeeping group.
Kasper Schmeichel had been Celtic’s first-choice goalkeeper after joining in the summer of 2024, but retired after suffering a shoulder injury. Sinisalo has since been competing for the starting role.
