"Feeling a bit pessimistic" - West Brom worry voiced amid potential Mikey Johnston return | OneFootball

Mikey Johnston impressed while on loan at the Hawthorns from January onwards

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Last season was a relatively successful campaign for West Bromwich Albion, despite suffering eventual heartbreak.

Carlos Corberan's ability to work miracles under a previous backdrop of uncertainty had been well-documented, as his team continued the great strides taken under the Spaniard's management since his appointment in October 2022.

Ever since venturing into management at Huddersfield Town in 2020, the 41-year-old has had a knack for pursuing some strong transfer deals, such as his pickup of Sorba Thomas from National League side Boreham Wood in 2021 among many others.

Ultimately, such is West Brom's reputation in the Championship, they are able to attract a strong calibre of player compared to some of their divisional rivals, and a loan move in February certainly intensifed such beliefs, as their performances, fuelled by the takeover of the club in the same period made for some strong momentum across the early periods of the calendar year.

West Brom fan pundit losing faith in potential Mikey Johnston return

However, it does remain to be seen whether Mikey Johnston will return to the Hawthorns, with there being just over a month of this summer's transfer window left.

That's after the Republic of Ireland international made an impression that would have surely shocked those casting an eye on his performances at Celtic Park after a loan agreement was reached.

There has been talk regarding whether the 25-year-old could return to B71 this forthcoming season. However, one of FLW's West Brom fan pundits, Callum Burgess, isn't perhaps the most hopeful when it comes to this potential scenario playing out.

"I'd say at the moment, I'm feeling a bit pessimistic about our chances of re-signing Mikey Johnston," Callum told Football League World.

"He's one where, ask every Albion fan at the end of last season, they saw the goals he was scoring, the impact he was having on the team, you'd have snapped your hand off to have him back.

"At the moment, with every passing week, it feels a little more and more unlikely that we'll see him in Albion stripes again, unfortunately for us.

"It'll certainly be a hard task for us to replace him as well, which makes it even more frustrating.

"I don't think we'd be able to afford him permanently with our finances, but should he be available on loan, we have to act fast ahead of any potential Championship competition."

Mikey Johnston's previous stint at West Brom was a success

Given his previous stint with the club, it's unsurprising that Johnston is held in such high regard.

The former Vitória Guimarães loanee was more than able to fill the void left by Jeremy Sarmiento, who went on to win promotion with Ipswich Town, as he went on to outperform the Ecuadorian's contributions in this Baggies side.

Despite not being able to fully showcase his previously well-documented pedigree when coming through the ranks onto the first team scene at Parkhead, Johnston more than proved those capabilities in Blue and White.

Naturally, a goal within a minute of his debut against Cardiff City did no harm to such prospects, before registering five goals and a further assist within the next six games, with the 'Everest' of his purple patch coming in a 4-1 demolition of Huddersfield Town on March 10th, with two of those strikes and the assist coming in the West Yorkshire rain.

And whilst only one more goal contribution fell the Glasgow-born wide man's way - against Stoke City - he remained a constant threat and your archetypal 'Mr Consistent' in the XI, failing to drop below a 6.6 rating based off Sofascore statistics, before returning north of the border following Albion's play-off semi-final defeat to Southampton.

West Brom have looked at potential Mikey Johnston deal this summer

Although it would be rash of West Brom to break the bank for Johnston's services despite his exploits and Shilen Patel's previous 'Open Letter' regarding the club's plans this summer, reports have hinted that the club have explored the possibility of a return.

Football Insider were the publication to reveal such goings-on in June, claiming that players would be moved on this summer to free up funds, with Johnston said to now be valued at £6m by the Hoops.

The likes of Okay Yokuslu and Brandon Thomas-Asante have been linked with potential moves to Trabzonspor and Southampton in recent days, so they are two key players who could garner significant incomings in terms of transfer fees and wages, which could then aid a potential late swoop for Johnston.

West Brom are severely lacking when it comes to attacking outlets on their left flank at present, so whether we see the 11-time international make a swift return or not, this is an area of the squad which still needs major surgery.