Brennan Johnson joins Tottenham from Nottingham Forest in a £47.5m move on Deadline Day; Forest have a 10 per cent sell-on clause as part of the deal; the 22-year-old was Spurs' top target for a new forward this summer; Wales international becomes Tottenham's ninth summer signing
Saturday 2 September 2023 07:50, UK
Tottenham have signed Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest in a £47.5m deal on Deadline Day.
The Wales international has penned a six-year contract and will wear the number 22 shirt.
The 22-year-old's move to Spurs is a club-record sale for Forest, who have a 10 per cent sell-on clause as part of the deal.
Johnson was Tottenham's top target for a new forward this summer following the £100m departure of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
It is understood Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou believes Johnson's profile is ideal for the way they play.
Brentford had also been keen on Johnson, while Chelsea cooled their interest in recent days.
Spurs also considered Barcelona's Ansu Fati - who joined Brighton on Friday - and Johan Bakayoko - who stayed at PSV Eindhoven after turning down a move to Brentford - before moving for Johnson.
Forest were not keen to sell Johnson and held out for an offer worth in the region of their £50m asking price.
Spurs eventually agreed a fee on Friday afternoon before completing the deal for him before the 11pm deadline.
The Forest academy graduate becomes Tottenham's ninth summer signing and takes their total spending to £229m.
Johnson was a standout performer for Forest last season as he scored eight goals and provided three assists to help the club avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Sky Sports football journalist Joe Shread:
"Johnson is far from a like-for-like replacement for Harry Kane - but that is fine by Tottenham.
"After letting their record goalscorer leave for Bayern earlier this summer, Spurs were understandably keen to strengthen their forward line.
"But the north London club were not seeking to replace the most prolific No 9 in their history with a player of a similar profile.
"Instead, Spurs opted for a versatile forward that can play multiple roles in Ange Postecoglou's front three - and Johnson fits the bill.
"The Wales international lined up on the wing, behind the striker and as the central forward at various points last season as Forest boss Steve Cooper regularly tweaked his system.
"Johnson consistently performed - regardless of his role - racking up impressive statistics across a variety of attacking metrics compared to his team-mates, as the graphic below shows.
"Johnson will be able to compete with Dejan Kulusevski on the right wing, Heung-Min Son on the left wing and Richarlison through the middle.
"As just 22 and with just one top-flight season under his belt, the 19-cap international should have plenty of room for improvement as part of Postecoglou's promising new era."
