View: Tottenham ace Brennan Johnson endures night to forget while away with Wales
Brennan Johnson failed to impress during his first appearance since he joined Tottenham from Nottingham Forest on deadline day.
A long-term target for Ange Postecoglou, the Australian finally got his man when Johnson swapped the East Midlands for London on 1 September, in a deal worth £47.5million (Sky Sports News, 2 September).
It is a lot of money to pay for a player who has just one year of Premier League experience under his belt, even if it was a very positive year all things considered. Playing as part of a Nottingham Forest team that struggled for form, the 22-year-old led by example, with his eight goals helping to keep Forest in the division.
His versatility, speed and eye for goal are what would have made him an attractive option for Spurs’ 58-year-old boss, but he was unable to display any of those things during Wales’ international friendly against South Korea.
The match, which took place in Cardiff on Thursday 7 September, featured four Spurs stars in total. Son Heung-min was captaining the South Korea side, while Joe Rodon – currently on loan with Leeds United – and Ben Davies, who captained Wales, lined up alongside Johnson, who was making his 20th appearance for the Welsh senior team, having scored twice in this time.
However, on this occasion, he was unable to add an international goal to his tally. Leading the line, Johnson failed to have an impact and it was ultimately an evening to forget for Spurs’ newest recruit, and one that Postecoglou will hope doesn’t damage his confidence too much.
Johnson only saw 45 minutes of action, being hooked off at the break for Kieffer Moore, after failing to make any contributions throughout his limited time on the pitch.
He managed just nine touches and was unable to register any form of shot, while also failing to complete the only dribble that he attempted. He completed just one of the three passes he went for and managed to give possession away six times, despite only touching the ball on nine occasions (Sofascore).
Defensively he wasn’t much better, as he lost both of the ground duels that he contested and did not make a single tackle, block or interception.
Luckily for the youngster, his club captain was alongside him that evening, and he would have certainly reminded Johnson at full-time to keep his head up and look ahead to the opportunity he has with Tottenham.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs Scout has had a look at reported target Lloyd Kelly of Bournemouth.