Tottenham Hotspur have taken the surprising step of agreeing a fee with London rivals Crystal Palace for forward Brennan Johnson, a player who etched his name into club folklore less than a year ago.
From Bilbao Hero to Peripheral Figure
Johnson's place in Spurs history was secured in May when his scrappy, close-range finish won the Europa League final against Manchester United in Bilbao. That goal, his 18th of a prolific season, ended a 17-year major trophy drought for the North London club and a four-decade wait for European success.
Yet, despite that iconic moment, the 24-year-old has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot under manager Thomas Frank this season. He has featured in 16 of 18 Premier League games, but only six of those appearances have been from the beginning.
The Logic Behind a Shock Sale
The accepted offer, understood to be around £35 million, represents a significant financial loss for Spurs, who paid Nottingham Forest £45 million for Johnson just two-and-a-half years ago. However, the club's hierarchy sees a clear rationale for the move.
Firstly, Johnson's path to the starting XI is blocked. Mohamed Kudus, a £55 million summer signing from West Ham, is the entrenched first choice on the right wing. On the left, Johnson is considered less effective, and with Dejan Kulusevski returning from injury, his opportunities would shrink further.
"That's key," Frank said recently regarding the club's need to improve in the transfer market. "Part of it is being able to sell. You see the other top clubs, they are quite good at selling. That's something we need to be improving."
Rebalancing the Spurs Squad
The potential sale follows the summer departure of Son Heung-min and comes at a time when Spurs have lacked goals from open play. Letting another reliable scorer leave is a bold move, but it would generate funds and create squad space for Frank's January rebuild.
If the £35 million move to Selhurst Park is completed, Johnson would become Tottenham's third-biggest sale in the last decade, behind only Harry Kane and Kyle Walker. The deal is not yet finalised, with the window not officially opening until New Year's Day, and Johnson trained fully on Tuesday ahead of Spurs' match against Brentford.
Other clubs, including Bournemouth, Aston Villa, and Everton, are also thought to be interested, but Palace are currently in pole position. Johnson is not expected to be the only departure, with interest from Juventus in defender Radu Dragusin and a desire to sell Yves Bissouma also noted as Spurs look to rebalance the squad and target a new left-sided attacker in January.
