Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United wanted Sam Johnstone but the England goalkeeper is set to join Premier League rivals Crystal Palace on a free transfer, as reported by 90Min.
It’s never easy to work out just how good a goalkeeper is when he’s plying his trade for a club at the bottom of the table.
David Marshall looked like a genuinely world-class shot-stopper at Cardiff City back in 2013/14, after all, while Simon Mignolet earned a move to Liverpool on the back of some virtuoso performances at Sunderland.
Johnstone was by far and away West Brom’s finest performer during an otherwise miserable 2020/21 campaign at the Hawthorns. But, as former Three Lions frontman Emile Heskey told HITC last year, the true test of a goalkeeper’s quality is how he performs at a higher level. At a club who aren’t relying on him to produce gravity-defying stops every other minute.
Sam Johnstone to Crystal Palace
“I speak to goalkeepers, I’m friends with goalkeepers; When you’re playing at a club where you have a lot to do, making 15 saves (in one game) is nothing,” Heskey explains.
“When you play at a top club where you only have to make two, that’s difficult. You only have to concentrate on two occasions, whereas when you’re constantly being peppered with shots, you’re always at it.
“I think (Johnstone) has done fantastic and I do feel there will be teams looking at him. But (stepping up to a higher level) won’t be as easy as it looks.”
The former Manchester United youngster may have a point to prove, then, as he prepares to return to the Premier League with Crystal Palace. 90Min claims that the Eagles are on the verge of confirming Johnstone’s arrival, fighting off competition from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle.
Tottenham were also interested too but turned to Fraser Forster after refusing to give Johnstone assurances over his playing time.
Now, West Brom supporters will tell you that, last season, as the Baggies slumped to a mid-table Championship finish, Johnstone’s form often left a lot to be desired. Was that outstanding 2020/21 campaign a flash in the pan? Or a sign of things to come?
We’ll find that out soon enough.
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