Are Everton Getting Serious Now About Alistair Johnston? Celtic Should Know What To Do Next.

Everton being interested in Alistair Johnston shouldn’t come as a surprise.

If anything, I’d have been more surprised had Premier League clubs not come calling.

This is a player who has consistently delivered for Celtic, produced on the international stage including the recent World Cup and is now entering what should be the peak years of his career.

At 27 years old, Johnston has developed into one of the best right-backs to wear the Hoops recently, so there was always going to be potential admirers this summer.

The important question isn’t whether Everton are interested.

It’s what Celtic do next.

From what I have been hearing, there is a gap between the two clubs’ valuation of the player. Potentially even an initial offer rejected.

That’s exactly how it should be.

If it is true Everton bid £10m for AJ or suggested that is what they would be willing to pay if they made an offer then of course they will have to have a re-evaluation of what they want to do.

I think they have and have are now stepping up their interest, likely with a more serious type of bid.

If you’re asking me what Alistair Johnston is worth, I’m think somewhere between £18 million and £21 million would be acceptable.

Could that price put clubs off?

Maybe.

But that’s not Celtic’s problem. We see fees like this being bandied around all 20 EPL clubs for dross so don’t try undercut us.

Johnston isn’t a player the club needs to sell. He’s under contract, he’s one of Martin O’Neill’s most important players and replacing him wouldn’t be easy. That means Celtic should be one of the toughest clubs in Britain to negotiate with.

Anything less simply doesn’t make sense.

After all, this isn’t just about selling a right-back.

It’s about replacing arguably the best in the Scottish Premiership.

That replacement has to be ready from day one.

Which is why, if Johnston does leave, I don’t think Celtic need to spend weeks searching for the answer.

I think they already know it. Whether they do anything

Julian Araujo.

His loan spell last season captured the imagination of supporters for a reason.

He played with proper personality.

He looked like someone who genuinely embraced playing for Celtic, and the supporters responded to that.

That stoppage-time winner against Kilmarnock only strengthened the connection between player and fans, even if injury cruelly cut his spell short.

How he picked up that injury is up for debate…

Perhaps most importantly, Araujo is about as close to a like-for-like replacement as Celtic are realistically going to find.

He already understands the expectations and knows the dressing room.

There wouldn’t be the same settling-in period you often get with a new signing arriving from abroad.

Now, I’ll admit one thing.

A figure of around £7-8 million would be totally fair.

Not because I don’t rate Araujo, but you can’t help but feel he is well out the picture at Bournemouth. Of course we might have to wait until the EPL Squads are announced to know that for sure which would would only suit us if we can hang on to A.J for the Champions League qualifiers.

Let’s look at the numbers.

Johnston joined Celtic from CF Montréal in January 2023 in a deal widely reported to be worth around £3 million.

If Celtic were to receive somewhere in the region of £18-21 million for him, then even after reinvesting £7-8 million in Araujo, the club would still bank a substantial profit.

That’s exactly how a successful trading model is supposed to work.

You sell at peak value.

You replace intelligently but with a greater investment the next time to the initial one you made on the departing player.

This means you strengthen the club financially without significantly weakening the starting XI.

Anthony Ralston also gives Celtic another important layer of security.

I’ve never had an issue with Ralston being the backup option to be honest, it isn’t as competitive a starting slot up for grabs but he is an able deputy.

So for me, the succession plan almost writes itself.

Keep Johnston if Everton don’t meet Celtic’s valuation.

But if the right offer eventually arrives from them soon, don’t panic.

Reinvest quickly.

Bring Julian Araujo back to Glasgow.

Sometimes replacing quality is impossible.

In this case, Celtic might already have the closest thing to the perfect solution.

Keep Your Eyes On The Board.