Why Johnson could prove Tottenham's most important player in top-four push
Eyebrows were raised when Tottenham Hotspur agreed to part with £47.5m during the summer transfer window to secure the services of Brennan Johnson.
The Nottingham Forest winger had impressed at the City Ground, scoring eight goals and chipping in with three assists during his debut campaign in the English top-flight. His form didn't go unnoticed with Brentford having an initial £35m bid rejected for the versatile forward.
The Bees returned with an improved bid but it wasn't even to tempt Forest into selling their prized asset. But that, a mid-table Premier League club, appeared to be the next obvious step for the Wales international while he honed his craft.
That is why the move to Spurs, a team hoping to return to the Champions League, seemed to catch so many people off guard. Johnson was raw and inconsistent. Following the loss of Harry Kane, Ange Postecoglou needed as close to a guarantee as possible.
Yet Johnson has proven himself to be a handy player for Tottenham this term.
The 22-year-old has five goal involvements in his last five appearances for Spurs as Postecoglou's men have got themselves back in contention for a top four finish.
Following the 4-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park, Tottenham find themselves just two points off of fourth place with a game in hand.
Johnson, who added a second for Spurs early in the second half against Unai Emery's side as the visitors blitzed the hosts, now has four goals and six assists in the Premier League despite racking up just 1,202 minutes for his new side.
Spurs have won four of their last six to reignite their Champions League hopes. Perhaps coincidentally, Johnson involved himself in a goal in those four wins. The games he failed to score or assist in was the 2-2 draw at Everton and the 2-1 loss to Wolves.
He's scored against Brentford, he netted a 96th minute winner against Brighton, chipped in with two assists against Crystal Palace having come on as a substitute before scoring the all important second against Villa.
The former England youth international is not just contributing, he's involving himself in big, match defining moments.
Johnson is growing into this Tottenham team. Against Villa, he put in a fairly meaty challenge on Matty Cash, earning himself some brownie points with the away faithful. He was also first on the scene after John McGinn had hacked away at Destiny Udogie.
The No.22 completed the most dribbles at Villa Park (4) and looked right at home in a very talented Tottenham attack.
Some had wondered whether the January arrival of Timo Werner might impact Johnson's game time but the challenge has seemingly brought the best out of him.
Something that is being overlooked and missed is just how impactful Johnson has actually been. He currently has an Expected Goals haul of 5.86 and he's got an Expected Goals average of 0.44. These are remarkable numbers when you consider the limited minutes he's appeared in. He seems perfect for Ange-ball and he's only going to improve with more experience.
You can understand why so many at the club seem to speak highly of the 22-year-old. According to Alasdair Gold, Postecoglou and captain Heung-Min Son have a lot of faith in Johnson.
He said: "There’s so much belief in him at that club, Postecoglou loves him, feels like he’s going to be a terrific player.
"Sonny adores him, I mean the interview he did on him afterwards, he was just saying how good he’s going to be, and he said this previously, he thinks he’s going to be like one of the best players in the Premier League."
The pressure was on Johnson having arrived following the sale of Kane, but he appears to be handling it extremely well.
