Crystal Palace have been in desperate need of attacking reinforcement and look like they might secure it early in the January transfer window by signing Brennan Johnson.
The Athletic reported on Thursday evening that a deal for the Tottenham Hotspur forward is close, and if it can be completed in time, he will be available to face Newcastle United on Sunday. That would be a major boost for Palace manager Oliver Glasner, both in the immediate and longer term, given his squad is down to the bare bones.
The 24-year-old will offer something Palace do not have while Ismaila Sarr is away with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations: direct running into pockets of space beyond defenders to stretch the play.
Johnson’s relative versatility is also a benefit. Although most capable on the right, he can play on the left, where he started this season and a not insubstantial number of his appearances for Spurs have come from. When Sarr returns, it would allow Palace to ease him back in, rotate him or allow Yeremy Pino a rest on the opposite side. That versatility gives Palace options at last, especially if there are injuries.
There is inevitably going to be some level of adjustment required as he becomes accustomed to the intensity and style of Glasner’s system, and particularly so if he plays in that less familiar left-sided role in due course. But that does not take away from how desperately Palace need additions to the squad and how helpful his arrival will prove.
Palace’s squad is down to the bare bones. Justin Devenny, for all his endeavour and commitment, is not an attacking threat in the No 10 position, having scored only one Premier League goal in his Palace career. His work rate is invaluable, but Palace need more than hard workers.
Johnson, though, appears to be a good fit for Glasner’s system and shares similarities with Sarr. For what would be a club-record signing, he would expect to play regularly.
Palace’s bench against Fulham laid bare their troubles. It is not a slight on their young players, who are talented and have potential, but even with a smaller squad, needing to rely on two teenage forwards in Benji Casey and Joel Drakes-Thomas (17 and 16 respectively), as well as a 20-year-old Romain Esse, who has played 169 Premier League minutes, is not conducive to success.
Daichi Kamada’s hamstring injury was unfortunate but Palace know they did not strengthen sufficiently in the summer, albeit with caveats for the reasons why. The speed with which they have sought to acquire Johnson, however, may go some way to mitigating the problems caused by that lack of summer business, which have become clearer as the season has progressed.
There is a case for Glasner having involved Christantus Uche and Esse more, but he has said he sees the former as a striker and the latter is not trusted defensively. Therefore, regardless of what validity it has, there was an obvious need for more signings.
Johnson is not necessarily the most creative player but he would provide an outlet and a different focus, just as Sarr has done. Palace play more conservatively with Nathaniel Clyne and Devenny on the right due to their limitations.
Releasing the shackles would be easier with Johnson, who should be ideal in a No 10 role to be able to run in behind pockets of space, allowing more balls in behind the defence or at least stretching them more. He stays high up the pitch to receive the ball, which you can see in his player pizza chart from last season, which shows his high progressive receptions and low link-up play.
That is further exemplified by his off-ball-run types. A “Cross receiver” rating from SkillCorner shows he makes a high volume of runs into the box to receive a cross. It’s something which can be witnessed via his trademark back-post goals, the result of instinctive runs to find himself on the end of crosses to finish first time.
As Palace drew 1-1 with Fulham, there was some sign of promise in attack, although more missed chances. Clyne rolled back the years when he worked his way past Antonee Robinson to cross for Jean-Philippe Mateta to head home the opening goal, but Glasner acknowledged recently that the 34-year-old is not realistically an attacking outlet. There was some fortune in that a poor first touch drew Robinson out in the first place.
The arrival of Johnson would ease some of that burden and allow him to focus more on his defensive duties while still supporting the No 10.
The Wales forward tends not to spend too much time in possession. Last season, his 35.3 touches per 90 were among the bottom six per cent of attacking midfielders or wingers in the Premier League. Instead, he tends to focus more on running onto passes, which would be perfect for playing in transition as Palace do.
With Palace in dire need of options, a relatively versatile forward who is 24 is an excellent signing, particularly in the immediate term. He suits the manager’s way of playing, provides immediate relief to either first-choice No 10 and gives them much-needed help while Sarr is away.
Glasner has not been furnished with early signings in previous windows, but this would be a welcome and necessary change.
Crucially, it is not an addition for the sake of numbers; they have identified a player who works in the system, can contribute goals and who will add not only depth but significant quality to the team.