Chris Sutton has spoken out on Alistair Johnston after Celtic manager Martin O'Neill revealed that Everton's David Moyes had contacted him to say a bid was coming for the right-back
Celtic icon Chris Sutton has warned that the Glasgow giants can’t afford to lose Alistair Johnston after manager Martin O’Neill revealed that David Moyes had contacted him to say that Everton were going to put in a bid for the Canada World Cup star.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Bhoys’ opening Scottish Premiership fixture at home to Dundee on Monday, the 74-year-old remarked: “In fairness, David Moyes did call me last week and say that there would be contact. But I don’t know how far that has progressed, if it has at all.”
Right-back, of course, remains Everton’s long-running problem position. Kenny Tete could have filled the void last summer, but after a U-turn, he decided to sign a new deal at Fulham instead.
Ahead of the winter window closing, David Moyes admitted that the club had been actively searching for a new right-back for a year. Nathan Patterson came close to leaving before the winter window closed and despite featuring for Scotland in the World Cup, he remains surplus to requirements having seen team-mates such as Ben Godfrey and more recently, Jake O’Brien, selected out of position ahead of him.
Combine that with long-serving club captain Seamus Coleman departing after 17-and-a-half years and Everton’s need for a new recruit has grown even greater.
Sutton, 53, who made 199 appearances for Celtic between 2000-06, scoring 86 goals, told the Daily Record: “Alistair Johnston was huge for Celtic in the run-in last season.
“Everton have made a move, but Celtic simply can’t afford to lose him right now. I got some flak for saying they should have held off selling Daizen Maeda until after the Champions League play-off, but I stick by it.
Alistair Johnston of Celtic
Alistair Johnston of Celtic(Image: Jamie Johnston/Focus Images Limited/SmartFrame)
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“The same goes for Johnston. He’s a massive player on the pitch and a leader in the dressing room. The Premier League doesn’t kick off until August 22, which is after the play-off first leg.”
“Celtic shouldn’t be answering the phone until after then, because how the heck would you replace someone like Johnston for the biggest game of the season? You can’t.
“We saw last season when Celtic drafted in Julian Araujo from Bournemouth. That was a player who was on EPL money and had played at a high level – but he was still short of the standards set by Johnston.”