By Francis Onyach - Reporter
UK, August 11, 2026 - Brennan Johnson’s career has taken a remarkable and unexpectedly turbulent turn.
Just over a year ago, the Welsh international was celebrating the defining moment of his Tottenham Hotspur career, scoring the winning goal in the 2025 Europa League final against Manchester United. Today, he has completed another transfer, this time leaving Crystal Palace for Everton in a rare straight swap involving Dwight McNeil.
In between those two moments came a £47.5 million move from Nottingham Forest to Tottenham, a promising second season in north London, a £35 million club-record transfer to Crystal Palace and, only seven months later, an exit from Selhurst Park.
So what happened to Johnson?
From Forest academy graduate to record signing#
Johnson's rise initially followed an encouraging trajectory.
Born in Nottingham and developed through Nottingham Forest's academy, Johnson became one of the key figures in the club's promotion campaign during the 2021/22 season. He was named the Championship Young Player of the Season as Forest returned to the Premier League.
His pace, direct running and ability to play across the forward line made him one of Forest's most valuable attacking players.
After helping Forest establish themselves back in the Premier League, Johnson attracted significant interest from Tottenham.
Spurs eventually completed his signing in September 2023 for a reported £47.5 million, with Johnson signing a contract through 2029.
At the time, the transfer represented a huge step in his career. Johnson was moving from a developing Forest side to a club with European ambitions and expectations of competing near the top end of the Premier League.
But the pressure of the price tag was immediate.
A difficult start at Tottenham#
Johnson's first season at Tottenham was respectable rather than spectacular.
He finished the 2023/24 campaign with five goals and 10 assists across all competitions, with his 10 assists joint-most among Tottenham players that season.
There were flashes of the player Forest supporters knew, particularly his speed and ability to attack space.
But consistency remained an issue.
Johnson also experienced the darker side of playing for one of England's biggest clubs. Following a defeat against Arsenal in September 2024, he was subjected to significant online abuse and temporarily deactivated his social-media accounts.
Rather than collapsing under the pressure, however, Johnson responded positively.
Then came his breakthrough#
The 2024/25 season appeared to change the narrative.
Johnson became an increasingly important attacking player for Tottenham and entered the Europa League final as the club's leading scorer, having registered 17 goals and seven assists in all competitions before the final.
Then came Bilbao.
On May 21, 2025, Tottenham faced Manchester United in the Europa League final. In a tense match, Johnson scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 victory, helping Spurs win their first major trophy in 17 years.
It was the sort of moment that normally signals the beginning of a player's rise.
Instead, it became something closer to the peak of Johnson's Tottenham story.
Despite his European final heroics, Johnson was eventually sold by Tottenham in January 2026.
By then, his position in the team had become less secure. Under Thomas Frank, Johnson was increasingly used from the bench, while competition for wide positions increased.
Tottenham ultimately accepted Crystal Palace's £35 million offer, making Johnson Palace's club-record signing at the time.
The move was supposed to represent another opportunity.
Palace had won the FA Cup and were building an ambitious squad, while manager Oliver Glasner wanted additional attacking quality.
Johnson himself appeared enthusiastic about the transfer.
But the second half of his career at Palace proved dramatically different from his Europa League triumph.
What went wrong at Crystal Palace?#
The simplest answer is that Johnson failed to reproduce the attacking impact that had convinced Palace to spend £35 million.
He made 18 Premier League appearances for Palace without scoring.
Other statistical records list 26 appearances across competitions, with two goals and one assist in the Premier League during the 2025/26 campaign, illustrating that the precise totals depend on the competition and source being counted.
Either way, the underlying picture is clear: his Palace spell was disappointing.
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That is particularly striking given the timing.
Palace had not bought an untested prospect. They had bought a player who had recently scored the winning goal in a European final and had demonstrated his ability to produce in the Premier League.
Yet the move never really clicked.
The pressure of the price tag returned#
There is also an important psychological element to Johnson's story.
At Forest, he was the academy product who was allowed to develop.
At Tottenham, he became a £47.5 million signing.
At Palace, he became a £35 million club-record signing.
Each move increased the expectations around him.
That does not necessarily mean the transfer fees caused his decline, but they undoubtedly changed the context in which his performances were judged.
A young winger who needs time to develop can look very different when every performance is evaluated against a £35 million price tag.
And now, the swap deal#
The latest twist is arguably the most surprising.
Crystal Palace and Everton have completed a straight swap involving Johnson and Dwight McNeil, with both players signing four-year contracts and options for an additional season.
Johnson therefore leaves Palace only seven months after arriving as their record signing.
The deal is unusual in the Premier League and illustrates just how quickly Palace's assessment of the player changed.
For Palace, moving Johnson off the wage bill also makes financial sense. The Guardian reports that his contract was believed to be worth more than £100,000 per week, making him one of the club's higher earners.
For Everton, however, the move represents an opportunity rather than simply a rescue mission.
Johnson remains only 25 and has already accumulated considerable Premier League and international experience.
His strengths have not disappeared.
He remains extremely quick, capable of stretching defensive lines and dangerous when attacking open space. He has also demonstrated that he can perform on major occasions.
The challenge for Everton will be getting that version of Johnson consistently.
His career statistics at Tottenham underline that he was not a complete failure in north London. He scored 27 goals in 107 appearances before leaving for Palace.
More importantly, he showed during the 2024/25 season that he could become a productive Premier League attacker.
A career at a crossroads#
Johnson's story is therefore not necessarily one of a player whose career has collapsed.
It is the story of a player whose career has become unexpectedly complicated.
Forest saw a talented academy graduate become a Premier League star.
Tottenham saw enough potential to spend £47.5 million and were eventually rewarded with a European final-winning goal.
Palace saw an opportunity to sign a proven Premier League winger but received far less production than expected.
Now Everton are betting that a change of environment can unlock the player again.
The most striking part of Johnson's journey is the speed of the change.
Europa League winner in May 2025. Tottenham departure in January 2026. Crystal Palace record signing in January. Palace exit in August. Everton player by August.
At 25, though, Johnson still has time to rewrite the narrative.
The question is no longer whether he has the talent to play at Premier League level.
He has already demonstrated that.
The question is whether Everton can provide the environment in which the Brennan Johnson who thrilled Nottingham Forest supporters and delivered Tottenham a European trophy can return.
For a player whose career once appeared to be heading steadily toward the top, the next chapter could determine whether this is a temporary detour or the beginning of a very different trajectory.
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