Oliver Glasner is entering the last three months as Crystal Palace manager, and one of his aims will be to get Brennan Johnson firing. That ideally starts on Thursday when the Welsh attacker comes up against his former club, Tottenham Hotspur.
Johnson joined Palace from Spurs in January for £35m, which was a club record fee. He was handed a fresh start in the Premier League after a difficult period with the North Londoners.
The 24-year-old fell down the Lilywhites’ pecking order despite finishing as the club’s top goalscorer last season. He scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final.
Glasner has faith in Johnson
Johnson has encountered a tough start to life at Selhurst Park, managing just two assists in 12 games across competitions. He has yet to take up a regular starting role in Glasner’s team and his form has been a concern given the money paid for him.
Glasner has praised the Welshman ahead of his return to his old stomping ground. The Austrian is optimistic he will come good (via Palace Report):
“I see his effort in training. I just spoke to him today. He’s such a great player, he has all the skills that are needed, he has everything, it’s just now to support him to show this consistently every game, getting his confidence back.”
Johnson’s confidence might be low due to the difficulties that occurred in the latter stages of his Spurs spell. He joined Thursday’s opponents from Nottingham Forest for £47.5m in the summer of 2023 and was one of English football’s most highly-rated attackers at the time.
There wouldn’t be a better occasion for the Welsh forward to start living up to expectations than tomorrow night. He started in the 2-1 loss to Manchester United last Sunday, providing an excellent corner for Maxence Lacroix’s headed opener.
Tottenham’s Davies on ‘missing’ Johnson
Johnson’s Spurs career ultimately didn’t pan out as he would have liked, but he enjoyed several memorable moments. He wrote his name in the club’s history books when he scored the winner in the Europa League final.
The versatile attacker also built friendships with many of the Lilywhites’ squad, including Ben Davies. He still plays with the veteran full-back at international level.
Davies opened up on Johnson’s departure shortly after he made the switch to Selhurst Park. He said (via ESPN):
“Brennan is a great player, I’m lucky that I get to play with him on the national team as well as here. I think he’s going to be missed here but this is the business of football. When players aren’t playing, other suitors will come along and that’s what’s happened.”
| Brennan Johnson (Premier League 2025-26) | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Appearances: | 25 |
| Goals: | 2 |
| Assists: | 1 |
| Key passes: | 0.5 |
| Accurate crosses: | 0.4 (22%) |
| Successful dribbles: | 0.2 (30%) |
| Ground duels won: | 1.2 (47%) |
Johnson made 107 appearances during his time with Spurs, posting 29 goals and 12 assists. He will come up against his former club for the first time since his big-money move in January when the two sides collide on Thursday.
