Fan View: Tottenham ace Brennan Johnson can become the next big thing in north London with time and patience
Matthew Chadder is a lifelong Tottenham fan who grew up just down the road from his beloved club in North London. He’s now putting his passion for Spurs into words with a daily fan view for Tottenham News…
Modern football is so often clouded by storylines off the pitch, which could prove to be a stumbling block for Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson.
Time and time again we have seen players arrive in the Premier League for big money, or perhaps transfer from one club to another within England’s top flight, and fail to live up to their price tag.
That is at least the way it is described among those in the game, but what does failing to live up to a price tag actually mean?
In today’s world of football, players are being sold for extraordinary fees, the kind of money that is almost impossible to justify, no matter how well you play or how much of an impact you have. As soon as a transfer total reaches more than £50/60million, that footballer’s every touch of the ball is suddenly more scrutinised and over-analysed.
Ultimately, it is not the fault of a player how much another club decides to pay for them, and often that fee is determined by other factors such as the length of a contract, the importance of that particular player to that particular club, his age, and whether or not they are homegrown.
With all of this in mind, it sometimes seems harsh to judge a player purely on their price tag, without taking other factors into account. I was guilty of this myself, when Tottenham first paid the money they did for Johnson, my immediate reaction was that he was not worth this type of fee.
However, it isn’t relevant. Tottenham paid the money they did because Johnson was a key player for Forest, and is incredibly young. Therefore, he shouldn’t be held entirely to his value, and compared to other players who cost more or less, because all of those transfers had different circumstances surrounding them which impacted the final cost.
All that matters is Johnson is a talented player, which we have already seen early on in his career in north London. His assist against Crystal Palace after coming off the bench, his performance against Newcastle and his goal against Wolves all demonstrate there is a player of extraordinary potential within.
If at the end of his first or second season, he is performing more like a player worth £30million rather than £50million, it doesn’t matter, and fans shouldn’t put pressure on him by implying he is not worth the price paid, because as long as he is performing that is all that matters.
With time Johnson could flourish at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he deserves that time as well as patience. Holding him up to his price tag makes no sense. Jack Grealish won a treble with Manchester City, yet I have still spoken to football fans who insist he wasn’t worth the money, but what more could he do?
That is what Villa wanted and that is what City were required to pay, that has nothing to do with Grealish, and he shouldn’t be held to the value of his price tag, but instead to the fact that he won a treble.
It is the same with Johnson. Give him time and patience, and don’t expect him to perform like he is worth £50million every single time he steps onto the pitch, because that is a near-impossible task and one which could derail the momentum and progression of a young, exciting talent.
In other Tottenham news, Ange Postecoglou could drop one midfielder against Everton despite his 90 per cent display last time out.