Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson

Johnson in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Brennan Price Johnson
Date of birth	(2001-05-23) 23 May 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth	Nottingham, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) [1]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Tottenham Hotspur
Number	22
Youth career
0000–2009	Dunkirk
2009–2019	Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2023	Nottingham Forest	91	(24)
2020–2021	→ Lincoln City (loan)	43	(11)
2023–	Tottenham Hotspur	47	(11)
International career‡
2016–2017	England U16	5	(1)
2017	England U17	1	(0)
2018–2019	Wales U19	9	(2)
2019	Wales U21	4	(1)
2020–	Wales	33	(5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:05, 8 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:36, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Brennan Price Johnson (born 23 May 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team. A versatile attacking player, he has been deployed on either side of the wing, as a striker, or a second striker.

Early life

Brennan Price Johnson ^[2] was born on 23 May 2001 ^[1] in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. ^[3] He is the son of a Jamaican father, former footballer David Johnson, and Welsh mother, Alison Johnson. ^{[4] [5]} His maternal grandparents are from Rhayader, Wales. ^[6]

Club career

Nottingham Forest

After joining the Nottingham Forest academy from Dunkirk at eight years old, ^{[4] [7]} Johnson made his first-team debut aged 18, appearing on 3 August 2019 as an 88th-minute substitute in a 2–1 loss against West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the season. ^[8]

On 25 September 2020, Johnson joined League One club Lincoln City on a season-long loan. ^[9] He made his debut two days later, coming off the bench against Charlton Athletic. ^[10] He scored his first career goal against Plymouth Argyle, heading in from close range. ^[11] In April 2021, Johnson scored his first career hat-trick in a match against Milton Keynes Dons, taking Johnson just 11 minutes to accomplish this feat. ^[12]

Johnson's first professional goal for Nottingham Forest came in a 1–1 draw against local rivals Derby County on 28 August 2021. ^[13] Forest experienced an upturn of form after the appointment of Steve Cooper, replacing Chris Hughton, and after scoring one goal and providing two assists in a month where Forest had three wins, Johnson was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month award for September 2021. ^[14] Johnson was awarded the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for April 2022 after his four goals and four assists helped Forest into the play-offs, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion. ^[15] Johnson would play in all three games of the play-offs, and was the topscorer across all Championship play-off games, scoring once in each of the semi-final legs against Sheffield United. He also successfully scored in the subsequent penalty shootout against Sheffield United, which took place as the teams were tied after both legs of the semi-final. ^{[16] [17]}

Johnson ended the season as Forest's top scorer with 19 goals in all competitions, including in both semi-final legs of their successful play-off campaign. He was named the EFL Championship Young Player of the Season. ^[18] On 1 July 2022, he signed a new four-year contract with Nottingham Forest, which was set to expire in June 2026. ^[19] Johnson played in every game in Nottingham Forest's return to the Premier League in 2022-23 as they avoided relegation, providing eight goals and three assists. ^[20]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 1 September 2023, Johnson signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on a six-year contract ^[21] for a transfer fee of £47.5 million. ^[22] He made his debut for Tottenham on 16 September 2023, in a 2–1 victory over Sheffield United. ^[23] On 11 November, Johnson scored his first goal for Tottenham in the third minute of a 2–1 defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers. ^[24]

Due to Tottenham players being away on international duty and a number of injuries in the squad, Johnson was awarded many opportunities in the starting lineup during the winter period of his first season. On 31 January 2024, Johnson would score his second goal for the club in a game against Brentford. ^[25] His goal came only a minute after Tottenham's first goal of the match, scored by Destiny Udogie, and was the second of three goals to be scored within 8 minutes. Tottenham Hotspur would win the match 3–2. On 10 February 2024, Johnson scored a stoppage-time winner for Tottenham Hotspur in their 2–1 home win against Brighton & Hove Albion, after joining the game as a 62nd minute substitute for Timo Werner. ^[26] Johnson was instrumental in Tottenham's 2 March 2024 match against Crystal Palace, where he assisted Timo Werner in his first goal for the club, equalizing the game. He then later assisted Son Heung-Min in the final goal of the 3–1 victory. ^[27]

Johnson finished the season with five goals and ten assists; his ten assists was the joint-most of any Spurs player. ^[28]

Following a 1–0 home loss to Arsenal on 15 September 2024, Johnson was subject to heavy amounts of online abuse, leading to the deactivation of his social media accounts. ^[29] However, he quickly bounced back, and netted a late winner 3 days later against Coventry City in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup, and went on to score a goal in seven consecutive games. ^{[30] [31]}

International career

Youth career

Johnson played in international friendlies for the England under-16 and under-17 teams before switching to Wales in 2018. ^{[32] [33]} He played for the Wales under-19 team in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifiers. His first competition goal for a Wales youth team was in his debut for the Wales under-21 team, in a 1–0 victory over the Belgium under-21 team on 6 September 2019, during the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. ^[34]

Senior career

In September 2020, Johnson was called up to the senior Wales squad for the first time. ^[35] Johnson made his Wales debut in a 0–0 draw against the United States (US) on 12 November 2020. ^[36] He made his first start for Wales against Finland on 1 September 2021, in which he was fouled and won a penalty. This chance was taken by Wales teammate Harry Wilson but blocked by Finland keeper Carljohan Eriksson. ^[37] Johnson scored his first goal for Wales on 11 June 2022 in a 1–1 UEFA Nations League draw against Belgium. ^[38]

In November 2022, Johnson was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. ^[39] This was the first time the nation had qualified for the tournament since the 1958 FIFA World Cup. ^[40] The team's first match of the campaign was a 1–1 draw against the US on 21 November 2021, where Johnson was substituted on for Neco Williams in the 78th minute. He made an attempt at goal from the right side of the box which was saved by US goalkeeper Matt Turner. ^[41] Their next match was a 0–2 defeat to Iran, where Johnson was substituted onto the pitch for Connor Roberts in the 57th minute. ^[42] The final match of the campaign for Wales was a 0–3 defeat against England. This was the Welsh men's national team's second time facing England in a major tournament, the first being six years prior in the UEFA Euro 2016, ^[43] and Johnson's first time against the team. Johnson was substituted onto the field for Gareth Bale in the 46th minute. ^[44] This ended Wales' World Cup 2022 campaign with Wales at the bottom of their group with 1 point. ^[45]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 12 December 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nottingham Forest	2019–20 [46]	Championship	4	0	1	0	3	0	—		—		8	0
	2020–21 [47]	Championship	0	0	—		0	0	—		—		0	0
	2021–22 [48]	Championship	46	16	4	1	0	0	—		3 [a]	2	53	19
	2022–23 [49]	Premier League	38	8	1	0	5	2	—		—		44	10
	2023–24 [50]	Premier League	3	0	—		1	0	—		—		4	0
	Total		91	24	6	1	9	2	—		3	2	109	29
Lincoln City (loan)	2020–21 [47]	League One	40	10	2	1	0	0	—		7 [b]	2	49	13
Tottenham Hotspur	2023–24 [50]	Premier League	32	5	2	0	—		—		—		34	5
	2024–25 [51]	Premier League	15	6	0	0	2	1	6 [c]	3	—		23	10
	Total		47	11	2	0	2	1	6	3	—		57	15
Career total			178	45	10	2	11	3	6	3	10	4	215	57

1. Appearances in Championship play-offs
2. Four appearances and one goal in EFL Trophy, three appearances and one goal in League One play-offs
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 19 November 2024 ^[52]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Wales	2020	1	0
	2021	6	0
	2022	11	2
	2023	6	0
	2024	9	3
Total		33	5

As of match played 19 November 2024

Scores and results list Wales' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Johnson goal ^[52]

List of international goals scored by Brennan Johnson

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	11 June 2022	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	12	Belgium	1–1	1–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A	[53]
2	14 June 2022	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	13	Netherlands	1–2	2–3	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A	[54]
3	21 March 2024	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	25	Finland	3–1	4–1	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	[55]
4	11 October 2024	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik, Iceland	31	Iceland	1–0	2–2	2024–25 UEFA Nations League B	[56]
5	19 November 2024	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	33	Iceland	3–1	4–1	2024–25 UEFA Nations League B	[57]

Honours

Nottingham Forest

• EFL Championship play-offs: 2022 ^[58]

Individual

• EFL Young Player of the Month: September 2021 ^[14]
• EFL Championship Young Player of the Season: 2021–22 ^[18]
• EFL Championship Player of the Month: April 2022 ^[15]

References

1. "Brennan Johnson: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
2. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2019" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
3. "B. Johnson: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
4. Taylor, Paul (22 May 2019). "Brennan Johnson hoping to maintain the family business by pulling on Nottingham Forest's Garibaldi red". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
5. Percy, John (23 March 2017). "Everton in talks with Nottingham Forest to sign teenager Brennan Johnson as search for country's leading young talents continues". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
6. "Wales forward Brennan Johnson shares his love for Rhayader". Cambrian News. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
7. Miller, Paul Taylor and Nick. "Brennan Johnson – made in Nottingham". The Athletic.
8. "Forest 1–2 West Bromwich Albion". Nottingham Forest F.C. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
9. "The Imps sign exciting Forest attacker on loan". Lincoln City F.C. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
10. "Report: The Imps v Charlton Athletic". Lincoln City F.C. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
11. "Report: The Imps V Plymouth Argyle". Lincoln City F.C. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
12. "Brennan Johnson hits 11-minute hat-trick at LNER Stadium". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
13. "Derby County 1–1 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
14. "Brennan named EFL Young Player of the Month". Nottingham Forest F.C. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
15. "Sky Bet EFL Manager and Player of the Month April winners!". English Football League. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
16. "Championship play-off semi-final: Nott'm Forest take lead into second leg with Sheff Utd". BBC Sport. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
17. "Forest into play-off final after shootout win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
18. "Aleksandar Mitrovic named Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season". English Football League. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
19. "Johnson signs new long-term deal". Nottingham Forest F.C. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
20. "Brennan Johnson: Tottenham sign forward from Nottingham Forest in £47.5m deal". 15 January 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
21. "Brennan Johnson: Tottenham sign Nottingham Forest forward in £45m-plus deal". BBC Sport. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
22. "Brennan Johnson: Tottenham sign forward from Nottingham Forest in £47.5m deal". Sky Sports. 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
23. "Spurs score twice in stoppage time to stun Blades". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
24. "Wolves score twice in stoppage time to beat Spurs". BBC Sport. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
25. "Spurs go fourth with comeback win over Brentford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
26. "Spurs snatch stoppage-time win against Brighton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
27. "Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 Crystal Palace (2 Mar, 2024) Commentary - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
28. "Brennan joins exclusive club with Premier League assists tally". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
29. Kilpatrick, Dan (17 September 2024). "Postecoglou condemns fan abuse after Tottenham star quits social media". Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
30. Lansley, Peter (18 September 2024). "Spence and Johnson rescue Tottenham late to deny Coventry in Carabao Cup". The Guardian.
31. "The Spurs Seven - Johnson joins exclusive club with scoring run". Tottenham Hotspur. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
32. Phillips, Terry (16 October 2018). "Brennan's double strike for Wales in Polish success". Dai Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
33. Davies, Matt (11 September 2018). "Brennan Johnson starts as Wales beaten by Republic of Ireland U19". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
34. "Wales U21s 1–0 Belgium U21s". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
35. "Wales suffer quadruple player blow". BBC Sport.
36. Pritchard, Dafydd (12 November 2020). "Wales and USA play out goalless draw". BBC Sport.
37. "Finland 0–0 Wales: Harry Wilson misses penalty as friendly ends goalless in Helsinki". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
38. Marsh, Philip (11 June 2022). "Johnson strikes late as Wales draw with Belgium". BBC Sport.
39. 2022 Wales World Cup squad
40. "When was the last time Wales qualified for the World Cup? A rundown of nation's history in FIFA tournament | Sporting News United Kingdom". sportingnews.com. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
41. Athletic, The. "United States vs Wales Box Score – November 21, 2022". The Athletic. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
42. "2022 World Cup stats: Iran get first win over European side, hosts Qatar eliminated". ESPN. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
43. "England national football team: record v Wales". 11v11.com.
44. "Rashford double sees England top group as Wales exit". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
45. "World Cup 2022 – Groups & Schedule". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
46. "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
47. "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
48. "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
49. "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
50. "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
51. "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
52. "Brennan Johnson: Internationals". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
53. "Wales vs. Belgium 1–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
54. "Netherlands vs. Wales 3–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
55. "Wales vs. Finland 4–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
56. "Iceland vs. Wales 2–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
57. "Wales vs. Iceland 4–1: Summary". UEFA. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
58. Woodcock, Ian (29 May 2022). "Huddersfield Town 0–1 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 March 2023.

External links

• Profile at the Tottenham Hotspur F.C. website
• Brennan Johnson – UEFA competition record ( archive )