Brennan Johnson’s recent performances have been a cause for concern amongst Tottenham Hotspur supporters.
The 22-year-old struggled at Old Trafford on Sunday and endured a tough afternoon while up against Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Johnson arrived at Tottenham for a fee worth £47.5 million on deadline day over the summer and has shown glimpses of his quality.
Four assists and one goal in 15 Premier League appearances isn’t exactly bad going for a young player finding his feet at a new club.
But off the back of disappointing displays against Burnley and Manchester United over the past 10 days, the Welshman has received plenty of criticism from fans and pundits alike.
Yet, we’d urge fans to be patient with the winger as he settles into life at his new club and here are three reasons why we believe he’ll be a success at Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou has ‘big plans’ for Johnson
Postecoglou has already shown he has a keen eye for talent, with many of his signings hitting the ground running at Tottenham.
The likes of James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven have all excelled this term. The Aussie boss was said to be key in these deals and the same can be said when it comes to Spurs’ move for Johnson.
While eyebrows were raised over the fee they paid to sign the winger from Forest, it was widely claimed he was Postecoglou’s number one attacking target.
Football.London has also since reported that Postecoglou has ‘big plans’ for Johnson and feels he can become a huge goal threat in his side.
And based on the recruitment under Postecoglou so far, it would be wise to trust the Aussie’s judgement of players.
Heung-Min Son
You’re probably wondering why Heung-Min Son is a reason Tottenham fans should give Johnson the necessary time to settle in.
But you only have to look back to the Spurs skipper’s first season in North London to realise it takes some players that little bit of extra time to settle in at a new club.
Son managed just four goals and one assist in his first 28 Premier League games for Spurs during the 2015-16 season. Johnson has already managed the same number of goal contributions in the league this term.
There were even suggestions Son could leave after a difficult debut campaign. But the South Korean soon found his best form in North London and the rest is history.
Of course, it would be a huge surprise if Johnson reached the level Son has managed to maintain over the years.
Many players have taken longer to settle in at Spurs and make a huge impact in their second season, with the latest being Pedro Porro. But Son’s early struggles at Tottenham feel particularly relevant to Johnson given the fact he was a year older than the Welshman when he made the switch to North London.
Johnson has already shown glimpses of his quality
Above all, we’ve already seen flashes of Johnson’s ability to play the wide role in a Postecoglou system.
His assist against Crystal Palace in November to set up Son is proof he’s capable of linking up with Tottenham’s more creative players, namely James Maddison.
The former Forest man has since registered assists against Manchester City, Everton and Bournemouth.
While he’s clearly lacking belief at the moment, there’s a talented player in there and we feel Postecoglou will get the best out of him, whether that’s this season or next.
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