It is not controversial to say that Tottenham Hotspur have struggled in the Premier League this season, though, adopting a glass-half-full mentality, it could also be suggested that Thomas Frank’s project, in its infancy, has the potential to be a success.
However, we need to see a more synergised frontline and a sharper overall build-up strategy. Spurs have struggled for stable home form and fluency in their creativity this season, and that has formed the crux of their struggles.
Many players have flattered to deceive, but Johnson’s poor performances have perhaps gone somewhat under the radar as Frank continues to hand the Wales international a second-string role.
Brennan Johnson’s struggles at Spurs
In keeping with the wider narrative at Tottenham, Johnson has ebbed and flowed since joining the club from Nottingham Forest for around £47.5m in 2023. However, he will be desperate for an uptick in form after a tough start to the Frank era, peripheral after scoring 17 goals across all competitions last year.
Johnson may have an eye for goal, but Frank clearly doesn’t fancy him as a regular starting option for the Lilywhites at the moment, with the Welshman only starting three of the past 11 fixtures in the Premier League.
Despite scoring in both of Tottenham’s opening league outings, he has offered very little in regard to ball-carrying and creative metrics, clinical when afforded space in the danger area but offering very little else for an outfit desperate for more dynamism.
See below for how Johnson’s data from the top-flight terms matches up against the form of Mohamed Kudus, and you’ll get a sense of why Frank is loath to give him a starting berth.
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Premier League 25/26 – Mohammed Kudus vs Brennan Johnson |
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|---|---|---|
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Stats (* per game) |
Kudus |
Johnson |
|
Matches (starts) |
13 (13) |
13 (6) |
|
Goals |
2 |
2 |
|
Assists |
5 |
0 |
|
Touches* |
52.4 |
17.8 |
|
Shots (on target)* |
1.5 (0.5) |
0.4 (0.2) |
|
Accurate passes* |
20.9 (87%) |
6.7 (70%) |
|
Chances created* |
1.6 |
0.4 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
3.1 |
0.2 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
5.1 |
0.9 |
|
Tackles + interceptions* |
1.9 |
1.1 |
|
Duels won* |
6.5 |
1.8 |
|
Data via Sofascore |
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This isn’t good enough. Johnson has the physicality and electric nature to provide much more. After all, he has been hailed by content creator HLTCO in the past for his “frightening” pace and directness down the flank, right or left.
But time is surely running out for him to nail down a regular starting berth. He’s unlikely to displace Kudus, and while most Lilywhites have left something to be desired this season, there’s a lot of quality there.
And there’s more still to come, with an out-on-loan star sure to be eyeing a place above Johnson in the north London pecking order next season.
The Spurs star who could replace Johnson
Analyst Ben Mattinson has described Mikey Moore as a prospect with “superstar potential”, having taken his first steps in Tottenham’s first team last season, scoring his first senior goal in the Europa League and racking up two assists besides across 19 matches in all competitions.
Moore is currently sidelined with a muscular injury, approaching one month since last playing in the Scottish Premiership, and though he struggled to impose himself throughout the early weeks of the campaign, Rangers’ abject form made it difficult for the youngster to hit the ground running.
His natural potency in the final third and underlying athleticism suggest that he might be the perfect Johnson heir, especially since he is comfortable playing across both flanks.
Spurs writer James Harris has even said that he could “bring back the old Aaron Lennon” to north London, so dangerous and dynamic when running with the ball.
Lennon racked up 364 appearances as a right winger for Tottenham, and pace and potency were staples of his game. Like Moore, he was an incredibly direct winger; though he offered far more from a creative standpoint than, say, Johnson, there’s a sense that Moore might share the retired England star’s protean threat.
Though it hasn’t been plain sailing for Moore in the highlands this season, it’s probably fair to say that the experience has toughened him up some, and that could prove instrumental in nailing down a starting spot down the line at Tottenham.
Already, he is showing that he has more in his locker than Johnson, a wider and more threatening array of skills.
Expect big things from this kid in the future, even if that comes at Johnson’s expense, it will help elevate Frank’s project.
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