Mikey Johnston tipped to stay at West Brom on one clear condition | OneFootball

FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has outlined whether he thinks Mikey Johnston will remain at The Hawthorns next season.

It’s been a tough season for West Brom, but there could be light at the end of the tunnel.

The Baggies are edging towards Championship safety with James Morrison at the helm, who has been excellent at turning around a group of rudderless players.

The Albion icon has managed to get his side looking so much better in all departments, which has got everybody connected with the club hopeful that they can put a dismal season behind them.

Putting players in the right positions has worked wonders for Albion, and you now feel a victory, if not two, would be enough to see them retain their second tier status after an almighty scare.

While their future isn’t secure, the Albion hierarchy will understandably think the Baggies will go on their way to survive under Morrison’s guidance, so plans will begin to take shape as to how they approach next season.

One area will be what the playing squad looks like. The Baggies currently have five players out of contract at the end of the season, while four loanees are set to head back to their parent clubs, leaving Albion very short and in need of a significant influx of arrivals this coming summer.

Not to mention that Albion could use some of their other permanent assets too, with a player like Mikey Johnston coming close to departing the Baggies on two separate occasions in recent times.

Last summer, the Republic of Ireland international looked set to complete a reported £5m deal to Brazilian outfit Flamengo, but a deal collapsed following fan unrest.

Meanwhile, on deadline day of the January transfer window, it had been revealed the 26-year-old had turned down a move to Turkish giants Trabzonspor in favour of aiding the Baggies’ survival bid, something that was met with overwhelming joy from the West Brom faithful at the time.

Unfortunately, Johnston has since been sidelined since the beginning of March after suffering a stress fracture to his ankle in Morrison’s opening game back in interim charge at Oxford United, with doubt creeping in whether he will return before the end of the season.

When he does return to full fitness, there is a possibility that Albion’s star winger could be the subject of further interest and whether the club can resist it.

With this in mind, FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has outlined his thoughts on whether Johnston will remain in the blue and white stripes after the close of this term.

West Brom backed to keep hold of Mikey Johnston provided Championship safety is secured

Speaking to Football League World, West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess believes Mikey Johnston will remain an Albion player provided they remain a Championship side next season, particularly after the Irishman’s showing of loyalty during the January transfer window.

Callum told FLW: “I think that it will depend on the outcome of Albion’s season.

“If they do get relegated, undoubtedly, Johnston will have no shortage of suitors across the Championship and abroad. Of course, that move to Flamengo last summer never fully went through, but was close to completion.

“But I think if Albion remain in the Championship, he’ll remain committed to the club and hopefully we’ll see an improvement in Albion’s performances in the division, and he can be a part of that.

“Even though he’s been injured since March, he still remains high on the combined goals and assists chart, so I think Albion will have to invest in the frontline next summer, with Grant, Dike, Maja and Wallace all potentially leaving on free transfers.

“I think they’ll want to keep Johnston, as he’s been someone who has been a constant throughout this transitional period, and hopefully then, you can have some talented players to play alongside him.”

West Brom must build their team around Mikey Johnston

In what has been a bleak season on the whole for West Brom, Mikey Johnston has been one of the few shining lights.

The winger had managed to get back to the days of his loan spell from Celtic two seasons ago under Carlos Corberan, recording two goals and nine assists in 34 appearances before his untimely injury.

Of course, after Ryan Mason departed, Johnston desperately struggled under Eric Ramsay’s demands, bizarrely playing right-wing-back against Middlesbrough, while also being chopped and changed throughout the team in a system that just didn’t suit the playing squad, so there is a case to be made that he could have had a lot more attacking returns if the setup played to his strengths.

If Albion remain in the Championship, there is every chance Johnston will remain at the club given his recent showing of loyalty, so the hierarchy must bring in quality around him so he can thrive and help the Baggies to be so much more potent going forward.

Johnston has shown he still has the game to thrive at this level and be one of the top attackers in the division, so when the transformation of the squad comes next season, the hierarchy must ensure they get the right attacking-minded players around him so he can be a force when he eventually returns, as this will be key to seeing the club getting back towards the right end of the division.