Johnson's Career Going Forward

Another Pompey player in the news is Glen Johnson, currently enjoying a highly successful time at Fratton Park following his loan arrival from defending Premiership Champions Chelsea.

Johnson, who knows Harry Redknapp from their time together at West Ham United, with whom he would be a youngster at the time, although with him still unbelievably being only 22-years-old with him seeming to have been around for years he is hardly an old man is he!

Having made only 15 first team appearances for West Ham between 2001 and 2003 the England International right-back would make the move to Chelsea for a massive £6 million when former boss Claudio Ranieri signed him as the first purchase under the Roman Abramovich reign. Most of Johnson's appearances at Chelsea so far would come under Ranieri, and although Jose Mourinho is said to rate Johnson highly he has always struggled to make an impression under the "Special One".

Redknapp snapped up Johnson in the summer on a season long loan move, which many have viewed as a step backwards for Johnson, who himself would be totally opposed to the suggestion.

How can a loan move to a club that will give him regular first team football, therefore enhancing is possibility of an England recall (having won the first of his so far five caps in November 2005) be viewed as a step backwards? Chelsea are a massive club but would he rather warm the bench watching even more players likely to come in ahead of him or turn out week in week out at a "smaller" club in Pompey... tough call but I think his decision speaks for itself.

It is likely that he will return to Chelsea in the summer of 2007 but if his loan could be made permanent I'd have no problems with this, I would more than welcome it. Unless he really knew he would get regular first team action at Stamford Bridge I would go as far as saying he would be willing to make the move permanent too...

Johnson would also speak about the training facilities Pompey currently have available, which we all know are not quite what he, and the other star arrivals are used to, however this is not a problem for the man more than used to these types of surroundings following his own upbringing.

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