Tottenham Hotspur may be focusing most of their attention at present on slimming down their exceedingly bloated squad, but theyr’e still linked with making moves for potentially three more new players. One of the positions they’re looking for is that of forward and/or wide attacker, and a name that has come up frequently as of interest is Nottingham Forest’s Welsh international Brennan Johnson.
But Spurs aren’t the only club potentially interested. According to the Telegraph, West Ham is also taking a look at Johnson as an option to replace Lucas Paquetá, who is closely linked with a move to Manchester City this summer.
The Telegraph notes that Johnson was the subject of a rejected £35m bid from Brentford early in the summer, and that it could take as much as £45m to get him out of the City Ground.
Put me down as one who doesn’t see what all the fuss is about. While Johnson is still young — only 22 — and his output can be looked at potentially as a good player on a really crappy team, his stats just really don’t impress that much, especially for a player being rated at £45m. Johnson had an exceptional season in 2021-22, the year Forest blitzed through the Championship, with 16g+10a but that didn’t really translate to the Premier League last season — 8g+3a on 52 shots and a npxG+xA/90 of just 0.29.
What he is good at is progressive carries, with a quite good 2.64/90, so he’s adept at getting the ball forward. You can squint and say that’s of use in an Ange Postecoglou side and he has a lot of room for growth, but he just doesn’t profile as a particularly good forward at the moment, and with Spurs looking for reliable output to replace that lost by Harry Kane I just don’t see it.
So maybe we should be grateful that another club like West Ham is interested in Johnson? I’m going to go with that. I’d like to think that Spurs’ interest in Johnson is as a potential option in the event that we’re not given the Gift we’re all expecting this summer, but even so I’d like to think there are plenty of players that would be a better fit than Brennan Johnson, especially at that price point. It’s a no for me, Clyde.
