Some interesting and intriguing news came to light this weekend regarding an ex Celtic winger Mikey Johnston.
The Republic of Ireland international was something of a mixed bag in his career in the Hoops but whilst it was evident he had an abundance of talent he was never able to show it on a consistent basis in a Celtic jersey.
Mikey Johnston was sold to West Brom last year for a fee of around £3 million in what was seen as a shrewd bit of business for a player who came through the youth ranks and was quite clearly surplus to requirements at Celtic.
I really have no idea how he fared at the Hawthorns but three goals and five assists in 41 appearances for the championship side last season suggests it was pretty average especially after he had done so well at an earlier loan spell at West Brom.
That form however hasn’t stopped a surprise bid of £5 million bid from Brazilian giants Flamengo being reported to have been placed for the tricky winger.
It’s not clear if it’s a move that will gather more momentum or if Celtic get a sell on fee which would be in the six figure variety, but it’s one that is very intriguing all the same.
Mikey’s trickery would certainly seem well suited to Brazilian football and a long way from the more physical style we see in the Scottish Premiership and indeed in the English Championship.
Hope Mikey gets this move and the best of luck to him.
In other news, just as Mikey Johnston could be leaving the English Championship, his former Celtic teammate Kyogo has arrived. Yesterday Kyogo agreed a three year contract at newly promoted League One Champions Birmingham City, to end his Rennes hell.
Kyogo left Celtic in January in a £10m move to Rennes to achieve his objective of playing in a top five league and thus improving his chances of going to next summer’s World Cup with Japan.
That dream quickly turned to a nightmare and now former Celtic assistant manager Chris Davies has brought him to Birmingham for an undisclosed fee. The package with add-ons should see Rennes recouping their £10m investment but that will mean back-to-back promotions for Kyogo’s new club.
All the best to him and his teammate Tomoki Iwata this season. We’ll watch with interest.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
I am pleased for Kyogo. What a nightmare it must have been for him at Rennes. He is well away from that.
Birmingham are a club on the up and have an excellent manager and coach in Chris Davies who will bring out the best in Kyogo. I believe Chris Davies was an astute capture for Birmingham.
I wish Kyogo , Chris and Birmingham City all the very best for the coming season and will be following their progress very closely.