What Brennan Johnson’s Wales display vs Belgium says about his Tottenham future
Brennan Johnson came off the bench in Wales’ 4-2 defeat to Belgium and had little impact on the World Cup qualifier.
Since Johnson’s match-winner in the 2025 Europa League final for Tottenham, he has virtually gone missing for his club.
The former Nottingham Forest winger has been inconsistent under Thomas Frank and has lost his spot in the starting XI.
Johnson was appalling in Wales’ 3-0 defeat to England on 13 October as his national prepared to take on Belgium in a crunch clash.
Yet, another poor display against the Red Devils could be the tipping point in what Spurs decide to do with the Welshman in the coming months and, beyond that, in the transfer windows.
Johnson’s Wales cameo shows lack of trust from Craig Bellamy following dismal Tottenham form
Heading into the international break, the 24-year-old had only notched two goals in seven Premier League appearances, both coming in the first month of the season.
The number 22 disappeared against the Three Lions and Wales manager Craig Bellamy was quick to drop him to the bench against Belgium.
Johnson came on for David Brooks in the 58th minute and did little to restore faith in his national team boss with a shoddy display.
The right-winger lost possession on five occasions, frequently sending wayward passes into the middle of the pitch which the Red Devils capitalised on.
Moreover, he attempted just one dribble, highlighting his low level of confidence given his uncharacteristic nature to not want to drive at defenders.
On top of this, from a positional perspective, crosses from Sorba Thomas were successfully reaching the far back post.
| Selected stats vs Belgium (13 October) | Brennan Johnson |
| Minutes played | 32 |
| Touches | 20 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 1 (1) |
| Possession lost | 5 |
| Accurate passes | 12/16 (75%) |
However, Johnson was nowhere to be seen to crash the box and smash the ball into the back of the net, an ability which he’s been well-known to carry out with immense attacking threat.
Johnson devoid of confidence as Tottenham consider January transfer plan
The ex-Garibaldi’s catastrophic international performances for Wales further highlights that the Lilywhites may need to consider moving him on in January.
The break away from domestic football was a chance for Johnson to find his form again and prove to Frank why he deserves a place in Spurs’ starting XI again.
Yet, the two-week hiatus has shown that the club would be better off trying to sell the 24-year-old in the upcoming transfer windows given the plethora of options on the wing.
Mohammed Kudus joined Tottenham in the summer and has been a creative revelation down the right that has ousted the number 22 from his usual starting berth.
Unable to push into Frank’s thinking amid intense competition in his position, a loan option to another Premier League club could be a wise play.
The likes of Brentford and Leeds could benefit from his speed to get in behind, suiting their counterattacking styles.
The prospective loan deal could also include an obligation to buy clause, although this would need to be somewhere near the £47.5million that Tottenham paid back in September 2023 which could deter potential suitors.