Alistair Johnston Extends Celtic Contract Until 2029

Alistair Johnston, who quickly established himself as a key player for Celtic, has extended his contract with the club until 2029. Manager Brendan Rodgers lauded the defender’s “phenomenal work ethic and attitude.” The 26-year-old Canada international transferred to the Scottish champions from Montreal FC in January 2023 and has since registered six goals across 79 appearances. “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,” Johnston stated on the club’s official website. “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.” Prior to his transfer to Celtic, Johnston made a notable impression at the 2022 World Cup, and this week he also reached the milestone of 50 international caps for his country. “Everyone at the club felt it crucial that we extend Ali’s contract and I am delighted that we have been able to do this,” Rodgers commented. “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.” Rodgers was questioned regarding his own contractual status, having signed a three-year agreement in the summer of 2023 to commence a second tenure at Celtic. Approximately halfway through that period, after securing a league title and the Scottish Cup last season and making a robust start to the current campaign, the Celtic manager addressed the possibility of remaining at the club beyond his existing agreement. “I haven’t really thought about it,” Rodgers responded. “I think for nearly a year, there was probably more people wanting me out than in. “So I’m not going to be talking about new contracts now. I just need to continue to work well, do my very best for the club.” “And I’m pretty sure at some point next season, we can see how we’re going and then take it from there. But at the minute, I love my life here. It’s an amazing club to work in.” “Funny enough, going away and coming back has made it even better for me because I knew what I missed when I was away.” “So I’m not in a big rush to be leaving it again.”