Jefferies has monitored Johnston's situation since injury forced him out of Middlesbrough's first team and had a loan arrangement agreed last season only to be scuppered when the winger broke his toe. There was no disguising Jefferies' satisfaction as he paraded his newest signing at Rugby Park.
Johnston made a promise to JJ that if he ever came back to Scotland, that he would be the first to know. The call came last week, but the boss thought that there wouldn't be enough left in the kitty to tempt the former Rangers, Hearts and Sunderland star after bringing in Peter Leven, Gary Wales, Alan Combe and Eric Joly this summer. "I said to Allan that if he had come to us earlier in the summer I could and would have offered him more, but that this deal was the bottom line. Alan got back to me about an hour later and said he just wanted to play. I was delighted." Jefferies added "He has made sure his family are secure and now he just wants to play.
Johnston revealed his reasons for joining the Ayrshire side. "I had a couple of offers from clubs in England and there were a couple from Scotland, but if I came back up the road, I wanted to come to Kilmarnock because I've worked with Jim and Billy Brown before. It's all about enjoying your football and playing well and it's a good club as well."
And Johnston hasn't given up on his international ambitions, either. "Hopefully I can enjoy my football and play well, and if I do that the Scotland thing will follow."
General manager Dave MacKinnon praised Jim Jefferies recruitment skills. "This is the third transfer window I've been involved with Jim and there is no-one better at wheeling and dealing. He has been given a strict budget, yet he has brought in real quality players and stayed within that budget. I don't know how he does it."
Johnston will play in the Under 21 match against Hibernian tonight and Jefferies expects him to start against Celtic on Saturday.