Ange Postecoglou spoke about Brennan Johnson’s growing influence and is impressed with how he performed in his debut season at Tottenham.
Johnson joined Spurs on transfer deadline day in September for £47.5 million from Nottingham Forest and initially struggled to make a reputation for himself, scoring only one goal in the first half of the season.
However, the Wales striker has flourished since December, scoring in wins over Brentford and Brighton, as well as coming off the bench in games against Crystal Palace and Luton in recent weeks.
Ahead of Tuesday’s trip to West Ham, Postecoglou said: “Brennan was brilliant at the weekend.
“He is still young, he is developing. He moved to a big club that has a lot of expectations attached to it when there’s a big transfer fee, but for the most part I think he’s handled it really well.
“He started both games before coming off the bench and he did really well against Villa. He wasn’t great against Fulham, but most of the team wasn’t great against Fulham. (Against Luton) he came off the bench again and impressed.
“He’s another player who is understanding more and more how we want to play and is adapting to it. Like I said, he’s done really well this year.
“It was always going to be a difficult introduction for a young player, moving to a big club for a transfer fee, and attacking players is always more difficult because you’re usually measured by goals and assists, but I think he brings more than just that.”
Johnson could start Tuesday’s London derby and could feature alongside Timo Werner, who was involved in both goals in the 2-1 win over Luton.
Spurs have the option of turning the RB Leipzig striker’s six-month loan into a permanent deal, but Postecoglou wanted to focus on the former Chelsea striker’s development.
“In terms of his future, I think like most players, all these decisions will be made in due course,” Postecoglou said.
“He was great for us. He was a vital signing. I said then that folks forget that once we signed him, Sonny (Son Heung-min) wasn’t here, he was away for the Asia Cup after which Richy (Richarlison) got injured, so we’d have had an enormous hole in the defense. our squad without Timo.
“And it’s secure to say he made an impact in every game. Yes, he would probably wish to rating a number of more goals, but at the same time he’s a vital a part of our structure.
“I believed he did rather well over the weekend. He’s played in the previous few games, but I believe he’s improving more the more he understands our game.
Spurs remain without Fraser Forster (foot), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Manor Solomon (knee), but Micky van de Ven could start in defense after being an unused substitute against Luton on his return from a muscle injury.
Credit : www.independent.co.uk
