Celtic are not exactly hiding the shape of the problem. With the deadline closing in, they still need a goalkeeper and a backup left-back, and that is not a luxury issue — it is a recruitment job that needs finishing properly. The latest name in the frame is Sam Johnstone, the 33-year-old Wolves goalkeeper, and it makes sense because Celtic need depth between the sticks before the window shuts.
That alone tells you the scale of the concern. In the summer, Kasper Schmeichel retired, and since then Viljami Sinisalo has been Celtic's starting goalkeeper. That is fine as far as it goes, but a season does not wait politely for one option to carry everything. If Celtic are serious about the campaign ahead, they cannot drift into the final hours of the window without addressing a position that has already been exposed as a need.
Why the Johnstone link matters
Johnstone is not being discussed here as some glamorous headline grab. He is being mentioned because Celtic need a solution, and they need one fast. The club's Champions League shortcomings have already underlined the need to complete more transfer business, and goalkeeper cover sits right in the middle of that picture. Whether Johnstone becomes the answer or not, the interest itself is revealing: Celtic know they are still short.
That is the awkward truth. When a club of Celtic's size reaches the last stretch of the deadline still searching for another goalkeeper, it is rarely a sign of calm planning. It is usually a sign that the squad still has loose ends. Sinisalo has been the starter up to now, but asking one goalkeeper to shoulder everything while the depth chart remains thin is a risk Celtic do not need to take.
Johnstone, at 33, would be a practical move rather than a romantic one. And that is exactly what this situation demands. Celtic do not need noise now. They need bodies, cover and reliability. If they want to avoid leaving themselves exposed, especially after the Champions League has already shown where the gaps are, then this is the sort of signing that has to be dealt with before 5pm on September 3.
The deadline is the point. Not the headlines, not the speculation, not the delay. Celtic still need to finish the job, and Sam Johnstone is one of the clearest signs that they know it.
