Crystal Palace Moves to Secure Brennan Johnson Amidst Spurs’ Struggles

According to reports from The Athletic, Crystal Palace has come to an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur for the potential signing of winger Brennan Johnson ahead of the January transfer window. However, the club has yet to finalize negotiations with the player himself.

Johnson is currently contemplating his future, especially with interest from other Premier League teams, including Aston Villa and Bournemouth. The Wales international has found it challenging to secure playing time under manager Thomas Frank this season, having made only six starts in the Premier League. This is particularly surprising given that he finished last season as the top scorer for Spurs, netting 18 goals across all competitions, including 11 in the league.

With the recent acquisition of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, Johnson has seen his role diminish at Spurs. Should he transfer for £35 million, he would rank as the club’s fourth-highest sale, following notable exits like Harry Kane, Gareth Bale, and Kyle Walker. Nevertheless, Tottenham would incur a significant loss on the 24-year-old, having paid £47.5 million ($64 million) to bring him from Nottingham Forest in 2023. Crystal Palace is keen to enhance their squad as they aim for both domestic success and European competition under manager Oliver Glasner.

Tottenham has faced a challenging domestic season, currently sitting in 11th place on the Premier League table with 25 points from 18 matches. The team has won seven and lost seven games, yet they remain only seven points shy of the top four, suggesting that a turnaround in form could place them in contention for European qualification.

Frank expressed optimism about Spurs’ trajectory, stating in an interview with Sky Sports: “I think that’s fair. It doesn’t work if you say, ‘Oh, we have so many positive underlying performance indicators, but we lost 15 games in a row.’ We need to win, and we need to win often. What I appreciate is that we haven’t had two poor performances back-to-back.

“While we may have lost two games consecutively, they weren’t necessarily two bad performances. For instance, we played poorly against Arsenal, but we performed well against PSG. Similarly, we underperformed against Nottingham Forest, yet put in a commendable effort against Liverpool, even if we lost. These instances indicate how we adapt and recover, which is a sign that we are moving in the right direction.”

He further stated, “Honestly, I think we are in a transition phase. Yes, we are a Champions League club, but are we genuinely among the best? Our qualification was mainly due to winning the Europa League, not because we ranked among the top four or five clubs in the Premier League last season, where we finished 17th. Competing in the Champions League while also striving for a strong Premier League performance is an immense challenge.”

Tottenham’s next fixture in the Premier League is against Brentford on New Year’s Day. Interestingly, they faced Crystal Palace in their last match, achieving a narrow 1-0 victory, with Archie Gray scoring the decisive header. Johnson made a brief appearance as a second-half substitute.