Tottenham confirm departure of Europa League winning goalscorer Brennan Johnson in £35m deal with Crystal Palace

Johnson arrived at Spurs late in the 2023 summer transfer window for a reported £47.5m ($60.5m/€56m) from Nottingham Forest and quickly became an important part of former boss Postecoglou's starting lineup in north London, scoring 18 goals in all competitions in his second season at the club after only bagging five in his debut campaign. His most important strike undoubtedly came in the Europa League final, with his scrappy finish enough to beat Manchester United and end Tottenham's trophy draught back in May.

A statement from Tottenham reads: "We have reached agreement with Crystal Palace for the transfer of Brennan Johnson. 

"The 24-year-old Wales international's name will forever be etched into our history as the winning goalscorer in last season's UEFA Europa League final, his close-range effort proving to be the only goal of the game as we defeated Manchester United in Bilbao. 

"We thank Brennan for his contribution and wish him well for the future."

Coincidentally, his last appearance in a Tottenham shirt came just under a week ago in their slender 1-0 victory over Palace, where Archie Gray scored the only goal of the game.

Johnson will now get the chance to start afresh after falling out of favour under current Spurs boss Frank. Palace themselves have endured a blip, going winless in their last five games in all competitions, with their bluntness in attack one particular issue. The arrival of the 24-year-old winger should give them a boost ahead of tricky fixtures against Newcastle and Aston Villa, while they also offer European football in the form of the Conference League, where the Eagles currently reside in tenth place in the league phase table.

Johnson told Palace's website: "I'm really excited and I'm really happy. Crystal Palace are such a great club, one that I've always admired. "It's a great time for me to be here and join the journey that this club is on – I'm super excited."

Manager Oliver Glasner said: "I’m really delighted that Brennan has joined the club. He arrives very early in the window, so credit to the club for making this happen so quickly. 

"Brennan will give us options in our attacking play with his pace and goalscoring ability and with all the upcoming games he will be a valuable addition to the squad."

Johnson held talks with Glasner prior to officially signing for the Croydon club to understand his role in the team. Justin Devenny and Yeremi Pino have been playing in the supporting roles behind main striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in recent weeks, with Ismaila Sarr currently on international duty with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Johnson was a key piece of Postecoglou's Tottenham but his value was quickly disregarded upon Frank's arrival. The signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham added further competition for places and Johnson has been unable to force his way back into the side, making only six starts in the Premier League during the 2025-26 season and contributing only four goals.

Frank admitted after the goalless draw with Brentford on Thursday that a transfer was imminent, saying: "Yeah, obviously there are some rumours out there and it's probably close to some of the rumours."

Johnson has penned a four-and-a-half year deal with Palace and will take the No.11 shirt at Selhurst Park. His new club will hope he is available straight away, with Palace visiting Newcastle on Sunday before playing host to Aston Villa. There are also upcoming clashes with Macclesfield in the FA Cup, Sunderland, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

As for Tottenham, they may have to reinvest the cash into some January transfer business. Spurs are floundering down in 12th and have a lengthy injury list, with Frank admitting he may need some extra bodies brought in before the window closes at the end of the month.

He recently said: "We are, we will be in the market. We are definitely interested in, if we can, strengthening the squad. We will do that, I've said it a few times before, that I think it's very important of course there are different types you can add to a squad. But the main bit is that we ones we add need to be the ones we really think can improve the team. And then, like normal, there can be outgoings if you want to try to make a sharp squad."