Former Mansfield defender Johnson has joined initially for one year but, as with previous contracts drawn up by CEO Ryan Sparks, there is likely to be a club option after that.
There could also be a trigger clause, based on a certain number of appearances, included in the player’s favour to extend the deal automatically.
Any precautions on City’s side are understandable after Johnson missed a long spell of the Stags’ promotion-winning campaign with a serious hamstring injury.
But Alexander is confident that his third recruit of the summer will prove a strong addition – and will have a point to prove after that frustration.
He said: “When we speak about a player or to a player, we obviously look at his record overall.
“We do the right things by having a medical and a bit of background information as well.
“There’s always risk when you sign any player. It can happen to anybody, even ones with brilliant recent records.
“But we feel that he’s proven he can put in long stints of playing regularly in the past.
son’s versatility appeals to the City boss. He looks well suited to play right side of a back three but can also play full back, wing back or in midfield.
Alexander added: “That’s something I’ve been vocal about. When you’re building a squad, you need players within that who can operate in a couple of positions.
“I like to look at the majority of our players and find a secondary position for them all because we want to run with a healthy squad, keep everyone involved and see value in what they can bring.
“We know what sort of attributes we need in certain parts of the pitch and then we try and find the players who will give us those.
“Callum hits a lot of those profiles and what we were talking about as a staff.
“He’s only 27 but he’s got quite a bit of experience under his belt.
“He’s had a little bit of a difficult time over the last season with actual game time.
“But his record before that was really strong and he’s been part of a couple of promotion-winning teams.
“He’s at an age where I think he’s potentially coming into the peak years of his career. We’re hoping he reaches that with us.”
“We take the proper actions by obtaining a medical and some background data.
“Any player you sign carries some risk. Anyone can experience it, even those with stellar recent records.
But we think he’s shown in the past that he can play consistently for extended periods of time.
He probably has some work to do to convince both himself and the rest of the world that he is a truly excellent player.
“We like his versatility and know he can play two or three different positions.”
“When we first saw him and talked to other people about his demeanor and character, I appreciated his attitude.
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