Alistair Johnston

Get it done Celtic. He’s been brilliant.

 

Some players just aren’t worth selling, he’s one. What we’ll get for him won’t be near what we deserve.

Get him on a long term contract and keep him. I think he’s the best RB I’ve saw for Celtic (first memories was the MON era)

 

Fantastic news, tells me he's staying for next season at bare minimum as well.

 

Lovely..

We must know there's eyes on him from elsewhere. Tie him down..

 

Months in the making thank * it's nearly done

 

I love the guy. I hope it's a ten year deal.

 

Brendan Rodgers has addressed recent reports about Alistair Johnston’s potential new contract with Celtic.


The club is believed to be close to securing a deal that would extend the Canadian right-back’s stay until the summer of 2027 and significantly increase his salary


Talks are ongoing, with Johnston’s representative currently in Scotland to finalise the agreement.

CeltsAreHere understands that the player’s agent was in the stands for Celtic’s 3-1 win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday night, a game where AJ excelled, making the most challenges and winning the most duels

Rodgers expressed the club’s strong desire to retain the 26-year-old, who has been a key player since joining under Ange Postecoglou. He said to Sky Sports,“We’re obviously very keen [to sort out a new contract], but I don’t think there’s anything imminent at the minute. He’s playing at such a high level and Ali is such a great member of our team on and off the pitch. Hopefully, and I’m sure the club and his representatives can work something out.”


Johnston’s consistent performances and leadership qualities have made him an essential part of Rodgers’ squad, and securing his future would be a significant boost for the team as they continue their domestic and European campaigns.

In recent weeks, he has taken on the captain’s armband when Callum McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers have been out of the squad.


He’s been a great player for Celtic and is now entering his peak years, preparing to commit his future to the Hoops, at least for the time being.

Hopefully, it all gets sorted out, and the Canadian pens a new deal shortly.

 

Or pre-empting it. One thing we’ve been * excellent at under Nicholson is moving to extend contracts and keep our assets on a deal long enough for us to be comfortable. The summer Rodgers came in, that was the only thing we done right, so might be a Rodgers thing but since he came back look at the guys we’ve got under new contracts. Including ones we werent sure we could like CCV and Hatate…

 

https://www.timescolonist.com/natio...nd-about-to-hit-milestone-with-canada-9803273


Defender Alistair Johnston thriving at Celtic and about to hit milestone with Canada
Alistair Johnston is thriving at Celtic, even if he has had to learn how to live in the fishbowl for a soccer player that is Glasgow. The city is divided between Celtic and Rangers supporters. And there are lots of each.


Alistair Johnston is thriving at Celtic, even if he has had to learn how to live in the fishbowl for a soccer player that is Glasgow.

The city is divided between Celtic and Rangers supporters. And there are lots of each.

According to a September UEFA report, Celtic was one of 16 European clubs to have enjoyed home league attendance of one million-plus in the 2023-24 season, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Add in domestic cup and UEFA club competition attendance and Rangers also reached the million-mark.

"You learn that it's not the same as playing for an MLS team," said Johnston, who signed with Celtic in December 2022 on a five-year deal from CF Montreal. "In Nashville and Montreal I could walk through the streets and not get any abuse."

"Over here, every single person knows who you are and they either love you or they hate you," he added.

Johnston has got both pep talks and scoldings from grandmothers on the street


He has had to adapt to the constant attention. He walks the dog at night and if he goes out during the day, "it's normally under pretty heavy disguise."

"The passion for the sport there, it's second to none," he said. "It's something I've learned, that I'm not going to be there for ever so cherish it while you are there because it's not normal — and it's not normal to a lot of cities in the world and it's not normal to a lot of players, no matter what club you play for. … It's definitely a unique experience but I've enjoyed it."



According to Scottish reports, Celtic is looking to reward him with a lucrative new contract that will keep him in Glasgow past the summer of 2027.

Johnston will likely be in the spotlight Friday when Canada, currently ranked 35th in the world, opens its two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against No. 136 Suriname in Paramaribo. He is one cap away from 50.


"It's special," Johnston, speaking from the Canada camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said of the milestone. "It's an amazing achievement. Never would I have thought four years ago when I stepped onto the pitch for my first cap that I would hit 50. I as just happy to be there, happy to be with all the big guns for my first camp ever with Atiba (Hutchinson), Milan (Borjan), Jo David (Jonathan David), Phonzie (Alphonso Davies), all those kind of guys that I had been watching and following."


The 26-year-old from Aurora, Ont., has been ever-present on the Canadian team sheet since making his debut as a 22-year-old in March 2021 in a 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over Bermuda.

Including that game, Johnston has played in 49 of Canada's last 57 outings.

Johnston has started nine of Jesse Marsch's 11 games as Canada coach, missing out on a September friendly against Mexico after an injury forced him out of Canada's 2-1 win Sept. 7 over the United States in Kansas City in the 23rd minute



He also sat out Canada's Oct. 15 Panama friendly due to a minor injury.

Celtic has outscored its opposition 31-3 in league play this season with Johnston, who had five goals in 77 MLS regular-season games, scoring four times in all competitions.

Celtic (10-0-1) tops the Scottish Premiership on goal difference above Aberdeen, a team Celtic thumped 6-0 on Nov. 2 in the Scottish League Cup semifinal. And it has turned heads in Champions League play where it is 2-1-1 with wins over RB Leipzig (3-1) and Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava (5-1) and a draw with Italy's Atalanta (0-0).





Its lone loss this season was a 7-1 Champions League shellacking Oct. 1 at Borussia Dortmund, which was runner-up in the European cup competition last season.

"It got ugly pretty quick," Johnston said of the Dortmund loss. "And that just reminded us that we're playing these top teams (and) if you're not fully tuned in to how you're going to defend, you can get punished pretty quickly. But I think we learned from that."



Celtic has gone 7-0-2 in all competitions since, outscoring the opposition 23-6.

Johnston was honoured last month when he captained the team at Motherwell. As skipper, it was his job to speak to the team during the pre-game huddle.

"They gave me some good advice because they know how much I like to talk," he said. "They just said 'Keep it short.'"

"A massive honour, especially being Canadian. … It's a very storied football club," added Johnston, who scored in the 3-0 league win.

With Celtic, he is a two-time Scottish Premiership winner (2022-23, 2023-24), two-time Scottish Cup winner (2023, 2024), and Scottish League Cup winner (2023).

 

A victory for Canada on his 50th appearance


Well done all star

 

That’s mental, 50 international games in 4 years??? Didn’t even know they played that much

 

Played last night was subbed on 60 odd minutes though

 

Who’s the guy giving him the award?

 

It's either Celene Dion or Bryan Adams since they are the only 2 other Canadians that I know.

 

Surely it's Neil Young?

 

Celtic Football Club is delighted to announce that it has agreed a new contract with Canadian internationalist Alistair Johnston which will run until the summer of 2029.

The defender, who signed for Celtic at the end of 2022, has already amassed 79 appearances and scored six goals for the club, performing brilliantly in the right-back position and playing a crucial role in the club’s recent successes. Just this week Ali has also surpassed the half-century international mark for his country by earning his 50th and 51st Canadian caps.

Alistair said: “I am just delighted to extend my contract with Celtic. I got a brilliant welcome to the club in 2022 and ever since I have had the best of times, loving every minute as part of such a great institution and I wanted to continue to be part of that.

“It’s an absolute honour to pull that famous jersey on every week and to have achieved so much success with my team-mates already has been so satisfying. But of course, we want more and that is our focus.

“It is a real delight to be working day in, day out in such a great set-up, working with the gaffer and the staff who have such ambition for success and with such a great group of lads in the team.

“Of course my team-mates have been everything to me - it is a brilliant dressing room I am privileged to be part of, with real quality guys beside me and I know we are all, collectively looking to work as hard as we can to bring our fans even more success over the next few years.”

Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers added: “It is fantastic news for the club and our fans that Ali has agreed this new contract.

“In a relatively short period of time he has established himself as a fantastic player for Celtic, showing real quality and just delivering performance after performance for us, week in, week out.

“He has a phenomenal work ethic and attitude, brilliant hunger and positivity, such an honest love for the game and a real desire to improve in everything he does.

“These are the qualities which make a great player and he has certainly been that for Celtic.

“Everyone at the club felt it crucial that we extend Ali’s contract with Celtic and I am delighted that we have been able to do this.”

 

Great news.

 

Never in doubt


Future captain