The more this guy plays the more I'm impressed and flummoxed that Celtic let him go. He is class. It feels like he and others (touch wood) are hitting a bit of form at the right time. He looks impossible to play against. One minute he's in the opposite goal mouth, the next he's tackling in final third. A great signing.
My only concern is his hotheaded streak... he is definitely going to pick up a red at some point when he gets carried away. His energy, just like Piazon, is fantastic to watch. Watching fully committed players on the pitch is one of the best things in football. One really minor point... it is Johansen, not Johanson.
He was so unlucky with that shot which went just wide in the second half yesterday and the way he turned the Barnsley No. 4 was sublime. You can see it here 1 minute 10 secs in: Know this is strictly not about Johansen himself but what you don't see is the lead up to the shot. It started at 1 hour 5 minutes and 40 seconds into the game when McDonald won a tackle. Then - * 53 passes for 2 minutes * lost the ball for a second * 5 more passes 1 hour 8 minutes into the game Johansen shoots wide [with thanks to Mike Gregg of FST for the stats info]
Re why Celtic let Johansen go, in a way I think he was a victim of his own success up here. His first season at Celtic he was easily their best player, scoring goals, creating goals, basically at the centre of everything for Celtic. He ended that season winning all sorts of awards. After such a successful season I think big things were expected of him and he just didn't live up to the hype in his second season, lost his way a bit and was badly out of form. The fans started to get on his back a bit as well which never helps. When we signed him a couple of Celtic fans I know couldn't believe they got £2m for him, they were pleased to get rid of him nevermind for £2m, told me Fulham had signed a player low on confidence and belief and it was a brilliant deal for Celtic. Maybe a change of scenery was all he needed and I think we all know now who got the better deal there. He's worth a lot more than £2m now I'd imagine.
