Bargain buy Johansen is wanted for the long haul

Norwegian has proved to be a snip at £2m and could buck the trend of profitable sell-ons as Deila seeks to keep him at Parkhead for long haul

He is highly intelligent and most of Celtic’s play goes through him

THE practice at Celtic is to sign them cheap and sell them for a hefty profit. Should Ronny Deila have his way, Stefan Johansen will be different.

The midfielder is a f ormer Norwegian Player of the Year and is certain to add at least one of this year’s Scottish accolades to his CV. Possibly both.

Parkhead t eam- mate Craig Gordon has his supporters and will garner votes from fellow players and football writers alike.

Ye t the £ 2 mil li o n Cel ti c reportedly paid Stromsgodset for Johansen — a substantial sum by Scottish standards — looks to be money shrewdly spent.

The 24-year- old already has 12 goals to his name. No one will bet against him adding to his tally as Celtic seek t o extend t heir Premiership lead over Aberdeen to eight points and contest a Scottish Cup semi-final with Inverness on Sunday.

Should an elusive domestic Treble come to pass, Johansen will be identified as the man at the wheel. A player who has been driving his team on relentlessly.

Inevitably, reports have already surfaced of interest from Germany’s Bundesliga. Yet Deila, the coach who knows Johansen better than any, has other plans.

‘We want to keep him for a long period,’ t he Celtic manager insisted. ‘He has the values we are looking for, he has the skills we are looking for, he is happy here and we are happy with him, so that is something we hopefully can do.

‘ We would rather extend his contract than sell him. That’s something we are looking for.’

Johansen still has two years left on his current deal. That there should be any thought to a renewal already shows his value to the Celtic team. Versatile and willing, the Norway international can play in a holding role, but has excelled in the three behind the striker.

‘ We have some good young players and Stefan is one of them,’ added Deila. ‘We want to have consistency in our team and he is one we really want to keep.’

Kilmarnock lie in wait at Parkhead this evening and, for the Ayrshire team, the task is unenviable. In ninth place in the Premiership table, Motherwell are seven points adrift, Ross County just one.

Locke’s team may yet be dragged into a play- off dogfight and the energy and drive of Johansen poses an unwanted headache at a critical stage.

‘Celtic have a fantastic squad and, for me, the best player in the league at the moment is Stefan Johansen,’ said the Killie boss.

‘I think he has had a fantastic season and is a very good player. Over the course of the season, I’d say he’s been the best.

‘He’s very intelligent and maybe they don’t intend everything to go through him — but it does.

‘That’s because he takes up such intelligent positions on the pitch that he’s almost always available for the ball.

‘He causes a lot of problems and we’ll need to be aware of him, although we also have to think of what we can do.’

Kilmarnock’s problem is obvious. Celtic have much to play for.

A five-point margin on a much improved Aberdeen team is too close for comfort. After drawing with Inverness — who they play again i n Sunday’s Hampden semi-final — Deila craves some breathing space at the top.

‘I think we are in a very important week here,’ the Celtic manager said. ‘It’s very exciting and we have to enjoy the moment and be very focused now in the next three matches before the cut, the two league games and the semi-final.

‘If we can do well in those three games, we put ourselves in a very good position and I really have big belief in my players.

‘I think they look very sharp now and very focused. So I’m enjoying every game and looking forward to tomorrow.’

Tying up the title would grant some time and scope for forward planning. Deila is in the market for one — probably two — central defenders, a left-back and a centre-forward. Possibly more.

Keen to trim down his bloated squad, some of the decisions on who must go to make way f or new signings are easier than others.

Wakaso Mubarak and Aleksandar Tonev have proven to be poor signings on loan and wi l l both r eturn to t heir parent clubs. Stefan Scepovic is another problem yet to be solved. ‘What we want is to get a smaller squad,’ Deila said. ‘ We don’t want it as big as it has been this year and we will see how we can cope with that with the time until September 1.’ Where John Guidetti’s f uture i s concerned, the decision already appears to have been made by a player who shows little sign of laying down roots in Glasgow.

Feyenoord have made noises publicly about taking the Swede back. Yet the signs are Guidetti’s

wage demands will push many — Celtic included — out of the frame.

‘He has to come back and say that he wants to play for Celtic and then we can sit down and talk about it,’ added Deila bluntly.

‘If not, then he will go away. We have done everything we can do and he wanted to wait. I speak with him regularly but we will have to wait and see what happens.’

After a promising start, when it seemed Guidetti would end a run of failed strike signings, Celtic are back at square one. Scouring the market for a bargain.

‘Something like 90 per cent of the clubs in Europe will say they need a striker — that is why it is so hard,’ Deila noted.

‘Everybody is looking but I think you have to find somebody who fits the way you play and get their best qualities out.’

Johansen has already shown Celtic the players are out there.