John McGinn helped Celtic complete summer signing

It has been years since the John McGinn transfer saga but that story still resurfaces in Celtic footballing discussions all the time. It was during Brendan Rodgers' first run as the manager of the club and the Scottish midfielder was at Hibernian back then. The Hoops were looking to sign him but did not show enough urgency in getting a deal done. Aston Villa ended up signing him and the rest is history.

McGinn has gone on to establish himself as a fantastic midfielder at the Premier League-level. And it is believed that that failed transfer saga was one of the reasons which ultimately led to Rodgers' Celtic exit.

It is no secret that McGinn grew up supporting Celtic. And it looks like he advised Viljami Sinisalo to make the move to Glasgow when the opportunity presented itself this summer.

As reported by Daily Record, Sinisalo said:

"Absolutely. I spoke to Ginny a lot about moving up to Scotland.

“Obviously, it helps that I’ve lived there before. I spoke to him a lot. He said you should jump at this opportunity. It’s massive and he gave us a little bit of advice, which I won’t tell! He’s a great man, John. I’m grateful for everything he’s done for me at Aston Villa and how he’s helped me settle into life in Scotland."

John McGinn helped Celtic complete signing

Sinisalo appears to have been brought in by Celtic with a long-term vision in mind. Kasper Schmeichel, who has also joined Celtic this summer, is expected to be the number one next season. But over time, the former Aston Villa goalkeeper is viewed as someone who can make the first-team gloves his own.

Sinisalo has already made his first appearance for Celtic, having featured in the recent pre-season friendly. And he has managed to impress plenty of fans, especially with his ball distribution, something that will be vital if he wants to be a success in Rodger's system.

Let's see how things turn out for Sinisalo at Celtic Park in the long run. If he goes on to become a great goalkeeper, the Hoops will have McGinn to thank for his advice.

His lack of experience at the top level is worth pointing out though. Hopefully, he will get some playing time for Celtic next season, when the situation calls for it.