Better than him: Spurs to sign £55M PL ace but ended up getting Brennan Johnson instead

Tottenham Hotspur’s season started in a turbulent fashion under new manager Ange Postecoglou. The team initially struggled with a draw against Leicester City and losses to Newcastle United and Arsenal.

However, they’ve recently turned things around with an impressive four-game winning streak, highlighted by a dominant 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Brennan Johnson, in particular, has emerged as a key player in Tottenham’s resurgence, but his journey to becoming a star at Spurs is an intriguing one, especially considering the club almost signed a different winger before him.

Brennan Johnson’s career at Spurs had a slow beginning after his £47.5 million transfer from Nottingham Forest last summer.

Despite an impressive 2022/23 campaign where he netted 10 goals and provided three assists in 44 appearances, Johnson initially struggled to replicate that form in North London.

By Christmas of the 2023 season, he had managed just one goal and three assists in 12 league appearances.

However, as he settled into the team and received more playing time, his performance improved significantly.

By the end of the season, he had five goals and ten assists across 34 appearances, averaging a goal involvement every 2.26 games.

This season has been a rollercoaster for the 23-year-old winger. Despite early struggles that led him to deactivate his Instagram account, Johnson has since bounced back, finding the back of the net in four consecutive games.

His resurgence has solidified his status as one of the top-performing wingers in the Premier League. Interestingly, Johnson’s rise to prominence came after Spurs opted not to pursue another promising winger, Jeremy Doku, who eventually joined Manchester City.

Before joining City, Doku was linked with several Premier League clubs, including Tottenham. In mid-August 2023, reports indicated that Spurs were keen on signing the then-21-year-old Belgian, who had enjoyed a strong season with Stade Rennais, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 35 games.

However, Manchester City swooped in, paying £55.4 million for Doku’s services. While Doku cited the opportunity to work under Pep Guardiola as a major factor in his decision, the high price tag may have also deterred Spurs chairman Daniel Levy from completing the deal.

In hindsight, it’s arguable that Tottenham made the right call by signing Johnson instead of Doku. While Doku has been hailed as a “diamond” by Kevin de Bruyne and had an exceptional game against Bournemouth, where he contributed a goal and four assists, his overall numbers were slightly lower than Johnson’s in the 2023/24 season.

Doku finished the season with six goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances, averaging 0.39 goal involvements per match, compared to Johnson’s 0.44 goal involvements per game.

The following table illustrates the comparison between Doku and Johnson’s statistics over two seasons:

So far in the 2024/25 season, Johnson’s form has been significantly better than Doku’s. Johnson has already netted four goals in eight appearances, while Doku has managed just one goal in the same number of games.

While Doku is undoubtedly a talented player, Postecoglou and Tottenham fans are likely satisfied with the club’s decision to invest in Johnson.

His recent form suggests that Spurs have secured the right winger to contribute to their ongoing success this season.

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