Player Watch Player Watch: Brennan Johnson

[King of the Lane]

Everything I post right now should be taken as opinion only. I'm not posting anything from sources on the main forum until further notice. If I do I'll specifically say so but I doubt I will during this window.

Have people pissed you off and ruined it or have you just decided to take a step back in general? It is a real shame either way mate and I hope you change your mind at some point as the majority of us on here really appreciate the info you provide.

 

[BorjeSpurs]

Not aware of any links but maybe Sanchez could be of interest to Forest in a potential player exchange + money deal? In their last game they played a back three with Willy Bolly, Joe Worrall and Scott Mckenna.

I wouldn't be against keeping him as a 4th choice now that we are playing two CBs, but he is on the last year of his contract and I would probably rule out a contract renewal in the near future. Would estimate that we could get somehere between €10-15m for him.

 

[KingNick]

Not aware of any links but maybe Sanchez could be of interest to Forest in a potential player exchange + money deal? In their last game they played a back three with Willy Bolly, Joe Worrall and Scott Mckenna.

I wouldn't be against keeping him as a 4th choice now that we are playing two CBs, but he is on the last year of his contract and I would probably rule out a contract renewal in the near future. Would estimate that we could get somehere between €10-15m for him.

I think the problem with an player exchange is that we might say he is worth 15m and ask for that discount on their Johnson price. But what if they get relegated and his value plummets/he has a relegation clause, suddenly they have given us a much bigger discount than they ever intended and so they might be wary about taking the risk. I suppose some kind of deal could be struck where we'd pay them more if that situation arose in a year's time but that would make things even more complicated to try and get done in the next 7 days.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

But Nick, none of our current wingers/wing forwards do this, do they? unless I'm missing something. So perhaps instead of trying to copy his Celtic squad in terms of it's make-up, in which we'd have had to replace ALL of our wingers, we've instead embraced what we have a looking to work in a different way?

mate and Ange said this in a presser than he doesn’t need always the same type of attacker and likes to have a mix of attackers who are different so the opposition always have different things to think about.

Johnson adds something we currently don’t have.

 

[Zino]

In a 'realistic' market, let's be honest Johnson is worth about 15-20m max but that just doesn't cut it these days for a lot of players and especially for the best players in English teams that don't want to part with the said player.

I'm not overly sold on him, purely for the price tag that's circulating. But.....I am 100% on the Big Ange train and if he sees fit for him then I'd 100% back Johnson and hope he starts flying for us!

I also would like to see him as a signing for the wing with someone like Orban as the CF signing and obviously hopefully a CB coming in too. But with a week left, the amount of outgoings we need to get 3 more players in is looking unlikely.

I really don't know how it will end up looking in regards to who goes and who comes in. I'm excited to watch us play football again, that's the main thing, but also want us to improve the squad as well.

 

[SCUMmucs]

For all this talk, I watched kulu and thought just run down the wing and put it in the box.
Then I look at unite with all their tricky wingers…

got tbh we have a much better data team and if they think this kid with his pace can cause havoc then I’m going to back it.

He shouldn’t have the issue of adapting to the league like Orban (who if scored 8 goals in his first season would have done well). There’s a lot going for this.

My worry is if the price is high then fans won’t give him a chance and the pressure might crush him before he had a chance.

 

[hughy]

For all this talk, I watched kulu and thought just run down the wing and put it in the box.
Then I look at unite with all their tricky wingers…

got tbh we have a much better data team and if they think this kid with his pace can cause havoc then I’m going to back it.

He shouldn’t have the issue of adapting to the league like Orban (who if scored 8 goals in his first season would have done well). There’s a lot going for this.

My worry is if the price is high then fans won’t give him a chance and the pressure might crush him before he had a chance.

Let's be honest, the next attacker we sign will always be the "Kane replacement" in the eyes of many on here, even if they're miles apart in style. If they underperform it's going to be a relentless barrage of snide comments.

 

[Trix]

Have people pissed you off and ruined it or have you just decided to take a step back in general? It is a real shame either way mate and I hope you change your mind at some point as the majority of us on here really appreciate the info you provide.

It's a combination of a number of reasons mate. If it were just down to individual posters pissing me off I'd have stopped quite a few years ago.

Right now there is a lot of contradicting stuff coming through from different sources and I'd rather not pass that on to the forum unless I'm pretty convinced it's close to the mark. Or at least as good as it gets from one sides POV at least. I know some of it at least is good because others are backing up what I'm hearing. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened with a new regime taking control so I'll see what happens when things settle down. As I say in my signature I'll still speak to the admin and others back of house so if what I hear is worthy of putting out you'll still hear it through other channels.

 

[Hawkey77]

It's a combination of a number of reasons mate. If it were just down to individual posters pissing me off I'd have stopped quite a few years ago.

Right now there is a lot of contradicting stuff coming through from different sources and I'd rather not pass that on to the forum unless I'm pretty convinced it's close to the mark. Or at least as good as it gets from one sides POV at least. I know some of it at least is good because others are backing up what I'm hearing. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened with a new regime taking control so I'll see what happens when things settle down. As I say in my signature I'll still speak to the admin and others back of house so if what I hear is worthy of putting out you'll still hear it through other channels.

Given the VAST majority of people on this site will miss this update from you, might be worth losing the blue background given there will be no ITK coming directly from you. Will just confuse people and leave you pissed off that people take what you say as ITK.

 

[BorjeSpurs]

I think the problem with an player exchange is that we might say he is worth 15m and ask for that discount on their Johnson price. But what if they get relegated and his value plummets/he has a relegation clause, suddenly they have given us a much bigger discount than they ever intended and so they might be wary about taking the risk. I suppose some kind of deal could be struck where we'd pay them more if that situation arose in a year's time but that would make things even more complicated to try and get done in the next 7 days.

I take your point that player exchange is more complicated than a straight deal but it is not like the deal hinges on exchanging players, and thus it adds to the options on the table. The Porro deal didn't involve a player exchange but it was the lowering of our Edwards sell-on clause that got the deal over the line. Obviously, these possibilities need to be ironed out early in the talks process.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Can anyone who has seen him play a lot compare him to another player? Most people are saying he's a very quick wing/forward who finishes well but isn't a tricky/1v1 winger. Sounds like Walcott?

I'd say that is a very good example of who he is like mate although he is slightly taller than Walcott and a bit stronger but Walcott a bit faster acceleration, Johnson is still rapid but Walcott had that Aaron Lennon type of explosive pace over 5-10 yards and then speed over 20+ yards, Johnson is similar but I'd say a bit more 'powerful'.

Obviously no where near the same level but also a little bit like Mbappe in terms of pace, power and being able to play RW or ST.

You could also compare him to someone like Dan James but a slightly taller stronger version, also Jacob Murphy from Newcastle although B.Johnson is more of a goal threat and plays a bit further forward.

If you watch him his running style is actually quote close to Dele Alli but Johnson is faster and more explosive than Dele.

Obviously comparing one player directly to another is difficult but I think Walcott was a pretty decent shout tbh mate, essentially he can play RW, CF or ST so he's a mix of a few different players I'd say something like a mix between : Walcott (RW/ST), D.James(RW/ST), D.Alli(CF and running style but Johnson doesn't make the late 3rd man runs like Dele used to he drives with the ball more).

He's also a really hard worker, lots of energy and running and has a good head on his shoulders.

 

[SuperLuka]

The more and more I watch and read on him, the more I think that he is being primarily brought in to compete with Richy in the 9 position. I know he can cover at RWF, however to me it seems Ange (if he has said yes to Johnson) would see him as a HG similar player to Kyogo who he had at Celtic.

Pacey, good with both feet, will stretch the backline.

The last is important IMO as we want our advanced 8s to have the spaces to get on the ball and create shots.

It's also been well documented that the ST position in Ange system usually has the least amount of touches in the side. We need someone who is active in the box, can finish with both feet, AND creates half chances/ugly goals out of nothing.

Interestingly he's scored the majority of his goals upfront although he does contribute from RW also.

 

[soflapaul]

It's a combination of a number of reasons mate. If it were just down to individual posters pissing me off I'd have stopped quite a few years ago.

Right now there is a lot of contradicting stuff coming through from different sources and I'd rather not pass that on to the forum unless I'm pretty convinced it's close to the mark. Or at least as good as it gets from one sides POV at least. I know some of it at least is good because others are backing up what I'm hearing. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened with a new regime taking control so I'll see what happens when things settle down. As I say in my signature I'll still speak to the admin and others back of house so if what I hear is worthy of putting out you'll still hear it through other channels.

For what it's worth, many thanks for the insight you and the others (Herc, H88, WLB et al) provide. It can't be written often enough. You are trying to explain chaos/moving target in real time when nothing is set in stone. Add to that, you are one step away from most of the information but still 2-4 steps closer than us yahoos. Anyone that can't understand that is a cretin. Anyone that can't appreciate that is an ingrate. Cheers.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

A lot of talk about how he will play against a low block and in tight spaces. I think we have to realise that probably half of our league games this year aren’t going to be against sides low blocking us. City, Arsenal, Liverpool, United, Chelsea, Brighton, Newcastle and possibly Villa will not just camp 10 men behind the ball.

Perhaps Johnson can be more of a threat than Kulu in these types of games? Maybe against the low block Kulu’s creativity will see we him starting - many want him tried as a creative 8.

It’s a squad game and we should think holistically about it. At the moment the ST/RW spots lack pace and goal threat - Johnson has shown he can provide this to a certain degree. Maybe he can step up his game in a better team and as he matures, he’s only just turned 22.

Fantastic post and points, spot on.

 

[jpascavitz]

Interestingly he's scored the majority of his goals upfront although he does contribute from RW also.

I think we'd certainly see him at the right on times depending on the opponent or competition that we're in, but I can't help but feel that I saw the same. I saw a lot of finishes inside the area with both feet. I saw him pounce on a few rebounds for tap ins as well.

I think that is what Ange expects out of a ST, a fox in the box type. Just my opinion based off what I saw.

 

[Now it's Spursonal]

Could we have a thread please?

 

[mil1lion]

Could we have a thread please?

I doubt there would be a thread made off some nothing source from x

 

[SpartanSpur]

Could we have a thread please?

Give me Brennan Johnson over this guy all day.

 

[Timberwolf]

Could we have a thread please?

In terms of the ideal Ange winger this guy's profile is way more like what I'd expect.

Much more of a tricky dribbler than Johnson.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

Could we have a thread please?

Gimme a bit of time kin hell