‘His club’ - Could Brennan Johnson go ‘home’ to Nottingham Forest as Crystal Palace cut losses on £35m record signing in the summer transfer window of 2026?

Johnson became a Europa League winner with Tottenham last season, netting the decisive goal in their continental showdown with Manchester United as a 17-year wait for major silverware was brought to a close. He ended the 2024-25 campaign as Spurs’ leading marksman with 18 efforts to his name.

Regular starting berths did, however, become increasingly hard to find for the jet-heeled 24-year-old winger. That led to a move across London being agreed, as a sizable fee changed hands. Johnson is yet to deliver much of a return on that investment.

He has gone goalless through 25 appearances for Palace, with end product drying up. Another opportunity to savour European glory will, however, present itself when the Eagles face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final.

If he were to grace that contest, could said outing become a farewell one? Asked if Palace may be tempted to cut their losses and reinvest elsewhere if the right offer was tabled for Johnson, Morrison - speaking to GOAL in an exclusive interview courtesy of Freebets.com - said: “I don't know because he's only just gone there, hasn’t he? I totally understand. He just looks like he's so short of confidence at the moment and nowhere near the level where you saw him at Tottenham, where he was their top goalscorer, scored in the Europa League final.

“He just looks like he's so not confident. Where you saw how he was at Nottingham Forest, where he was taking on full-backs and so confident, it looks like his confidence has been shot to pieces.

“I think there's a player in there. I don't think after a few months Palace would let him go. But I think whoever the new manager is that comes in needs to kind of work with him. You can't just work with him individually because you've got the whole group, but he needs to restore some confidence back in him and actually work with him and coach him. I do think there's a talent in there.

“I don't think they'd sell him in the summer at the moment, but I totally understand what you're saying, where he just looks like he's void of confidence at the moment. But the new manager coming in, hopefully, can get the best out of him next season.”

Palace will be appointing a successor to Oliver Glasner over the summer, as the FA Cup and Community Shield-winning Austrian seeks to bow out with another piece of silverware under his belt.

Pressed on whether Forest may be tempted to test the resolve of Palace’s new boss by tabling a bid for Johnson - having seen a home-grown product of their academy system register 29 goals for the club and help them to promotion back into the Premier League before leaving for Spurs in 2023 - Morrison added: “If Forest decide to go down that route and they have the money to bring Brennan Johnson back home, then why wouldn't Palace say, ‘have the money and go back to Forest’.

“Sometimes as a player, that's your home and that's where you produce. And that is what he produced at Forest. He was outstanding at Forest. That's what got his move to Tottenham, and there were other clubs sniffing around because of the goals he scored, he was a threat, he caused all kinds of problems and he was enjoying his football. At the moment, he's probably not enjoying his football because he's not playing week in, week out and he's not delivering.

“It's hard for him. And it's hard as a player coming on for 20 minutes, 10 minutes and trying to get momentum. So it's difficult. Hopefully, me personally, I'd like him to stay at Palace and I hope it works out for him. But if he had the opportunity to go back to Forest, you can understand why he would go, because that's his club at the end of the day.”

Johnson signed a contract with Palace through to 2030 when linking up with them, so the Eagles will demand big money if sale talks are to be entered into. One difficult run of form has not completely undone all of the good work that went before it.

Forest know what the Nottingham native is capable of and may believe that they are the ones to rekindle a lost spark, with the Reds crying out for pace and goal threat on the flanks after selling Anthony Elanga to Newcastle in 2025 and failing to suitably replace the flying Swede.