It really does feel like a new day at Tottenham Hotspur, even if the road ahead is still long and full of hard lessons. No Spurs supporter should be under any illusion about how deep the problems run at this club.
The 2025/26 season has exposed just how far Tottenham have fallen, not only in terms of quality on the pitch but also in mentality, confidence, and clear direction. Getting back to being a genuine top-four Premier League side will not happen quickly, no matter how much fans want it to.
For Tottenham to truly move forward, almost everything has to change. The coaching approach needs a reset, the way players mentally approach matches needs to improve, and the club’s recruitment strategy must finally become smarter and more ruthless.
For years, Spurs have promised fans that change is coming. They have talked about new ideas, fresh starts, and learning from past mistakes. Even the dramatic decision to part ways with Daniel Levy last summer was sold as proof that the club was finally serious about doing things differently.
Yet for a long time, fans have looked at the pitch and still seen the same old Spurs. Poor game management. Players who do not quite fit together.
Big wages tied up in footballers who offer little impact. Talented players losing value because they sit on the bench for months. That cycle has damaged Tottenham just as much as any single bad result.
This is why the opening moves of the winter transfer window matter more than they might seem on the surface. Tottenham are not just buying or loaning players. They are finally showing signs that they understand the importance of selling at the right time. That may not sound glamorous, but it is a vital part of building a successful club.
Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed what many expected. Brennan Johnson is set to join Crystal Palace, with the famous “Here We Go” sealing the deal.
Tottenham and Palace had already agreed on the framework of the transfer, and Johnson has now accepted the personal terms offered to him. The fee will be around £33.5 million, slightly lower than earlier estimates, but still a strong return for Spurs.
From a purely emotional point of view, some fans will be sad to see Johnson go. He has had important moments in a Tottenham shirt and has shown flashes of real quality.
He also scored key goals in previous seasons and worked hard whenever called upon. But football decisions cannot be based on emotion alone, especially for a club trying to rebuild properly.
The reality is that Johnson was no longer central to Tottenham’s plans. He had slipped down the pecking order and was likely to become a backup option on the right wing, or even a third-choice player once Dejan Kulusevski returns from injury. Keeping him would not have helped Spurs on the pitch, and it would have slowly reduced his market value.
This is where the change in approach becomes clear. In the past, Tottenham would probably have kept Johnson around, given him very few minutes, and then sold him a year or two later for far less money.
Fans have seen this story many times before. Players sit on the bench, lose sharpness, lose confidence, and then leave for cut-price fees. That approach has cost Spurs millions over the years.
This time, Tottenham acted early. They accepted that Johnson, while a good player, is not good enough to be a leading forward in a team that wants to challenge for the top four.
Instead of pretending otherwise, they took a solid offer and moved on. £33.5 million is good business for a player who was no longer essential and whose role was shrinking.
More importantly, this deal sends a message. Tottenham are willing to be realistic about their squad. They are prepared to cash in on players who still have value, even if those players are popular or have history at the club. That kind of thinking is exactly what Spurs have lacked for years.
This transfer alone will not fix Tottenham’s problems. Far from it. But it does hint at a smarter, more disciplined way of doing business. If Spurs continue down this path, selling well, recruiting wisely, and making tough decisions without sentiment, then real progress can finally begin.
For the first time in a while, this feels less like empty talk and more like the first small step toward genuine change.
