The big outgoing January deal at Tottenham so far has seen Brennan Johnson move to Crystal Palace.
Only eight months ago, Johnson was the toast of North London as he scored the goal that ended the elusive wait for Spurs to finally get their hands on another trophy in the Europa League final.
However, life comes at you fast in the world of football. Just 22 appearances – most of them from the bench – and four goals later, Thomas Frank deemed Johnson surplus to requirements at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
That news alerted Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace, and with the clocks practically striking 12 to bring in the New Year, the Eagles pounced to complete their first January transfer, taking Johnson to Selhurst Park for £35 million.
Just six days into his time with Palace, however, Johnson might already be regretting his decision to sign for Tottenham’s London rivals.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty ImagesBrennan Johnson might regret Crystal Palace move
The most attractive thing for any player who signs for Palace right now has nothing to do with their Europa Conference League campaign and everything to do with Oliver Glasner.
The man who won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt and the FA Cup with Palace is one of the most sought-after head coaches in world football, with his stock significantly high right now.
Clearly, Johnson was attracted to remaining in European competition when he signed for the Eagles, but getting the chance to learn from one of the game’s best coaches was probably higher on his list of pros when mulling over a Palace switch.
🤔Was Brennan Johnson misused by Thomas Frank at Tottenham?
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Johnson’s time playing under Glasner might be short-lived, however, with the Austrian being linked as a heavy favourite for the Manchester United job, according to The Telegraph.
Although Glasner might not move until the end of the season, it could mean more upheaval for Johnson in the summer and perhaps five more months as a backup at Tottenham in the Champions League would have been better.
Glasner is the exciting aspect of playing for Palace these days, and now he’s linked with moving to United, that element could vanish pretty quickly.
Frank has underused Johnson at Tottenham
Admittedly, in a Tottenham shirt, Johnson proved a frustrating player in terms of consistency, even if he will always be remembered for the Europa League final.
However, Frank is quickly running out of ideas at Tottenham, and perhaps keeping a player like Johnson as an impact player from the bench was the better thing to do.
It’s pretty curious that Johnson didn’t impress Frank, given that the head coach spent three years trying to prise the forward away from Nottingham Forest when he was the manager of Brentford.
Johnson is a player who thrives on confidence without a doubt, and this season, since Frank came to the club, he has looked devoid of that element, impacting his performance levels.
Palace should be able to get a tune out of Johnson for the remainder of this season, but once Glasner goes, the 25-year-old might be wondering what might have happened had he sat it out at Tottenham instead.