Tottenham Hotspur were busy in the summer transfer window of 2023. Harry Kane’s departure was inevitable, and that opened the door for some new signings. Spurs had to wait until the start of the season to sell their former captain. Ange Postecoglou patiently waited until the end of the transfer window to make his move for an attacking player.
Spurs bid £47.5 million for one of the Premier League’s newcomers. Welsh forward Brennan Johnson was signed by Tottenham Hotspur from Nottingham Forest. He played his first season in the top division in 2022-23 and showed some promise. Johnson is not a proper number nine but a forward who can run with the ball and create chances for his team. Let’s take a look at some of the stats that show why Spurs went big for this 22-year-old Welshman.
Brennan Johnson is a right-forward and played every game in the Premier League. He covered a lot of ground on his favoured left side and often found space inside the opposition penalty. The 22-year-old managed to take 111 touches inside the box with an average of 3.15 touches per 90 minutes.
Attacking capability
Brennan Johnson has the speed and skills to get past the opposition players. The forward also likes to make runs into the penalty box. His progression is more from the wider zones and has completed quite a few dribbles from around the penalty box. Johnson had a 58.8% success rate for dribbles.
These runs into and around the penalty box allowed the player to show his creative skills. He provided 24 shot assists in the whole season, and these resulted in three assists. A few shot assists have been low crosses delivered from inside the penalty box. This shows his composure in pressure situations. Johnson averaged 1.68 passes into the opposition penalty box per 90 minutes and was accurate 49% of the time. The youngster will definitely look to improve his numbers in the current campaign.
One of the reasons Spurs spent a huge amount on this player is his goal-scoring threat. Averaging 1.5 shots per 90 minutes in the 2022–23 campaign, Johnson managed to hit the target 50% of the time. He scored eight goals and missed two penalties. The forward has managed to find space around the six-yard box and convert a few chances.
Will Brennan Johnson get regular game time?
Brennan Johnson can play either as a centre-forward or a right-forward. Richarlison is leading the attack for Ange’s men, and Kulusevski has occupied the position on the right side.
The above viz compares the percentile rank of these two players from the stats of the 2022–23 season. Kulusevski has been more attacking, and that is one of the reasons why Spurs signed him on a permanent basis. Brennan Johnson was playing for a relegation-threatened team and was more involved in defensive work.
When compared with Richarlison, Johnson was a better dribbler and passer of the ball. The Brazilian has struggled to find consistency, and there are chances that Johnson might take on the number nine role in the future.
The Welshman performed consistently last season, and that earned him a move to North London. Tottenham Hotspur have started the season well, and Johnson has made his first appearance as a Spurs player. He played on the right side for the last 26 minutes of the epic comeback game for Tottenham Hotspur. The 22-year-old will look to get on the scoresheet and win his place in the starting 11.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
