Everton are preparing to make a move for Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston, according to the Daily Record — and given how long this problem position has been left festering, it's about time the Blues acted decisively.
Johnston, 27, emerged as one of the standout full-backs at this summer's World Cup on home soil for Canada, and that visibility has driven his stock to a level where Celtic — who want at least one more season from him — are now bracing for a serious offer from Goodison Park. His contract runs until 2029, so this won't be cheap.
Why Everton need this to work
The right-back situation at Everton has gone from concerning to almost farcical. Seamus Coleman, captain for 17-and-a-half years, has gone. Nathan Patterson remains surplus to requirements despite featuring at the World Cup for Scotland. Jake O'Brien and Ben Godfrey have been rotated there out of necessity. David Moyes admitted in the winter window that the club had been hunting a natural right-back for over a year. That's not a position problem — that's institutional neglect of a position.
Johnston arriving would end all of that. The question is whether he's the right solution, not just the available one.
What the data actually says
Comparisonator's Virtual Transfer Tool — which adjusts for league difficulty, positional demands and team quality — rates Johnston at an AI suitability score of 185.86 compared to Jake O'Brien's 184.14 in that role. A thin margin, but a margin in Johnston's favour. The tool also identifies him as a better fit than Everton's current option at right-back for six other Premier League clubs, including Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
His defensive numbers are genuinely impressive. A 76% successful defensive action rate would beat every current Premier League right-back, including Curtis Jones of Liverpool who leads with 72%. He ranks third for clearances per 90 (2.57) and second for interceptions in the opposition half (1.14). For a manager who wants compactness and defensive structure, those figures matter.
Offensively, playing for a Celtic side that dominates domestically inflates some numbers — his scoring attack involvement rate tops Matheus Nunes' Premier League-leading figure, though context is everything there. His crossing is functional rather than elite: sixth for attempts (2.86 per 90), 12th for successful ones (0.86). Pedro Porro, his closest stylistic comparison at 91% similarity, lands 1.67 successful crosses per 90. That's a gap worth watching.
- Comparisonator style profile: Playmaker back and wing-back (both rated 6.8/10)
- Closest Premier League matches: Jayden Bogle and Pedro Porro (both 91% similarity)
- 122 Celtic appearances, 7 goals, 63 Canada caps
- Joined Celtic from CF Montreal for £3m in January 2023
- Serious hamstring injury in October last season; returned to play key role in domestic double
The injury history is the one genuine caveat. He missed the bulk of last season after a serious hamstring problem in October, and that's exactly the kind of setback that can recur. Everton have had enough bad luck with Patterson's fitness to know what a fragile right-back costs you across a season.
Johnston's market value has spiked on the back of the World Cup. Celtic paid £3m for him in 2023. Whatever Everton are preparing to spend now will be considerably more than that — and Celtic, with a contract until 2029, have no urgency to sell.
