Tottenham sell Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace as surprise transfer trend emerges
Tottenham Hotspur have officially completed the sale of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace after a fee was agreed in the region of £35m.
The Wales international was also on the radar of Premier League clubs Everton and Bournemouth, but it was the south London club who won the race for the winger.
Johnson, who made the £55m switch to Spurs from Nottingham Forest in 2023, has struggled for minutes this season under manager Thomas Frank, recording four goals in 22 appearances in all competitions this season, with over half of those appearances coming as a substitute.
The 24-year-old was Tottenham’s top goalscorer in 2024-25 season with 18 goals – including the winner as Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought and achieved Europa League glory – and seven assists in all competitions.
But with the arrivals of Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons and the loan of Randal Kolo Muani in the summer transfer window, Johnson has fallen down the attacking pecking order under the Dane, with Kudus and Kolo Muani occupying the flanks.
With Johnson now on his way to the Eagles after 106 appearances and 45 goal contributions in Lilywhite, the Spurs boss was asked about how difficult it is for a club to replace the goal production of Johnson those goals.
“Goals are very important and they are very difficult to find. There is no two ways about that,” Frank said on Tuesday.
“That is very important. So it is important how we make sure we have enough goals in the team and players that can score goals. That is the key thing.
“That is, of course, also what we are looking at to try to improve.”
Frank – who is under pressure at Spurs after winning just 10 games in all competitions – went on to name Brazilian forward Richarlison as a player who can somewhat mitigate the loss of Johnson’s goals, with the Dane citing his health and availability as a particular positive of the 2025-26 campaign so far.
“I think the positive bits from this season so far are that Richarlison has done well and been fit and available for more than almost eight months since we started,” Frank added.
“But we need to have enough players with goals, both developing them and also finding players that can score goals for the future.”
Spurs’ worrying transfer trend continues
As Johnson – known for his knack for scoring goals by arriving late at the far post – makes the switch from north to south London, Tottenham have now continued their trend of selling their previous season’s top scorer for the third year in a row.
This follows the sales of club legends Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane to Los Angeles FC and Bayern Munich, respectively.
In the 2023/24 campaign, the South Korean superstar recorded 17 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions, with the 33-year-old’s final game for the club ending in hoisting the Europa League trophy, before he departed for the MLS.
Similarly, Kane had netted 32 goals in 49 appearances for Spurs in his final season before making the switch to the Bundesliga after 11 years leading the line at White Hart Lane.
He has since gone on to help Bayern set all sorts of Bundesliga records, whilst proving he is one of the world’s most premier centre-forwards, having racked up 115 goals and 29 assists in just 121 appearances for the German juggernauts.
So far this season, Richarlison is Spurs’ top scorer with eight goals, followed by Dutch star centre-back Micky van de Ven with six.
With goals having so far been difficult to come by, Spurs will be hoping to find a goalscorer in the January transfer window.
As such, they are reportedly eyeing a fresh swoop for Manchester City winger Savinho, who was thought to be keen on a move to Spurs when linked with the club back in the summer window.
Like that of Johnson at Spurs, the 21-year-old Brazilian has appeared to have fallen out of favour under Pep Guardiola, with 13 of his 22 appearances in the 2025-26 season coming off the bench, which could prompt Savinho to consider a future elsewhere, like that of Tottenham.
talkSPORT’s verdict on Johnson’s move to Palace
When discussing Johnson’s move to Palace on talkSPORT, ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders spoke of how having Johnson getting on the field regularly is vital to bolstering Wales’ chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I’m Welsh and I want Brennan Johnson to do well, obviously. He plays for Wales and we’re two games away from getting to the World Cup. We need him on the pitch,” Saunders said on talkSPORT.
“He’s like lightning. He scored goals last season. His dad was a striker. And his dad’s obviously taught him from little to get inside the full-back at the back post.
“He’s taught him how to get into the right areas. He’s always nicked goals. He done well for Forest. Thomas Frank obviously doesn’t fancy him, not playing him.”
Ex-Spurs player and Tottenham fan Jamie O’Hara added, “Brennan Johnson is a good player. He frustrates the hell out of me when he has the ball at his feet, but he’s good at getting on the end of things.
“£35 million. We’re losing money on him, by the way, selling him to Crystal Palace… But Brennan Johnson has resale value. There’s other players at Tottenham who you want to get rid of but no one wants them…
“Spurs want some money to spend in January… There ain’t many players in Tottenham’s squad that you can sell for £35m.”
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