Brennan Johnson

Last updated

Brennan Johnson
Brennan Johnson (cropped).jpg
Johnson with Wales in 2021
Personal information
Full name Brennan Price Johnson
Date of birth (2001-05-23) 23 May 2001 (age 24)
Place of birth Nottingham, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) [1]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Tottenham Hotspur
Number 22
Youth career
2007–2009 Dunkirk
2009–2019 Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019–2023 Nottingham Forest 91 (24)
2020–2021 → Lincoln City (loan) 40 (10)
2023– Tottenham Hotspur 68 (18)
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 37 (6)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:15, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:48, 9 June 2025 (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.

Contents

Born in Nottingham, England, Johnson began his professional career with Nottingham Forest and helped the club achieve promotion to the Premier League in 2022. He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, winning the UEFA Europa League in 2025 and scoring the deciding goal in the final.

At international level, Johnson played several matches for England youth sides before switching allegiance to Wales in 2018. He made his debut for the senior Welsh team in 2020, and represented the country at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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] He grew up in West Bridgford, and attended The West Bridgford School. As a toddler, he attended St Giles Preschool, where his mother works at.

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

2023–24

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]

2024–25

Following a 1–0 home loss to local rivals 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]

Johnson would suffer a calf injury during Tottenham's away clash against Arsenal on 15 January 2025, returning as a 64th minute substitute during Tottenham's 1–0 home win against Manchester United on 16 February. [32] [33] Johnson would make his first start back from injury on the 22 February away at Ipswich Town, scoring twice within 8 minutes. [34]

Johnson scored within the first minute of the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final against Bodø/Glimt on 1 May, which they would win 3–1. [35] He later scored the only goal in the final against Manchester United on 21 May, helping the club end their 17-year wait for a major trophy. [36] Johnson would end the season as Tottenham's top scorer, scoring 18 goals in 51 appearances.

2025–26

Johnson was an unused substitute in Tottenham's defeat on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 UEFA Super Cup on 13 August 2025. [37] He returned to the starting lineup for the opening games of the 2025–26 Premier League season, playing as a left winger and scoring in consecutive games against Burnley and Manchester City. [38] [39]

International career

Youth career

Johnson played in international friendlies for the England under-16 and under-17 teams before switching to Wales in 2018. [40] [41] 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. [42]

Senior career

In September 2020, Johnson was called up to the senior Wales squad for the first time. [43] Johnson made his Wales debut in a 0–0 draw against the United States (US) on 12 November 2020. [44] 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. [45] Johnson scored his first goal for Wales on 11 June 2022 in a 1–1 UEFA Nations League draw against Belgium. [46]

In November 2022, Johnson was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. [47] This was the first time the nation had qualified for the tournament since the 1958 FIFA World Cup. [48] The team's first match of the campaign was a 1–1 draw against the US on 21 November 2022, 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. [49] Their next match was a 2–0 defeat to Iran, where Johnson was substituted onto the pitch for Connor Roberts in the 57th minute. [50] The final match of the campaign for Wales was a 3–0 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, [51] and Johnson's first time against the team. Johnson was substituted onto the field for Gareth Bale in the 46th minute. [52] This ended Wales' World Cup 2022 campaign with Wales at the bottom of their group with 1 point. [53]

Style of play

Johnson has been noted for his one-touch finishes at the back post, which sports journalist Liam Tharme of The Athletic has described as his 'trademark.' [54]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 August 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Nottingham Forest 2019–20 [55] Championship 401030——80
2020–21 [56] Championship00—00——00
2021–22 [57] Championship46164100—3 [a] 25319
2022–23 [58] Premier League 3881052——4410
2023–24 [59] Premier League30—10——40
Total91246192—3210929
Lincoln City (loan) 2020–21 [56] League One 401021——7 [b] 24913
Tottenham Hotspur 2023–24 [59] Premier League32520———345
2024–25 [60] Premier League3311114113 [c] 5—5118
2025–26 [61] Premier League320000000032
Total68183141135008825
Career total1995211313313510424667
  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 4 September 2025 [62]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Wales 202010
202160
2022112
202360
202493
202551
Total386
As of match played 9 June 2025
Scores and results list Wales' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Johnson goal [62]
List of international goals scored by Brennan Johnson
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
111 June 2022 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales12Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1–11–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A [63]
214 June 2022 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands13Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 1–22–3 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A [64]
321 March 2024 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales25Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 3–14–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [65]
411 October 2024 Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik, Iceland31Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 1–02–2 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B [66]
519 November 2024 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales33Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 3–14–1 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B [67]
69 June 2025 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium37Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 3–34–3 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification [68]

Honours

Nottingham Forest

Tottenham Hotspur

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 "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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "Brennan named EFL Young Player of the Month". Nottingham Forest F.C. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  15. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "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. ↑ "Update - Ange Postecoglou on Brennan Johnson and Yves Bissouma injuries - Tottenham Hotspur". www.tottenhamhotspur.com. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  33. ↑ "Premier League LIVE: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United - scores, live text & radio commentary". BBC Sport. 16 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  34. ↑ "Ipswich 1-4 Tottenham: Brennan Johnson scores twice in impressive win". BBC Sport. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  35. ↑ "Tottenham Hotspur vs Bodø / Glimt: UEFA Europa League stats & head-to-head - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  36. ↑ Stone, Simon (21 May 2025). "UEFA Europa League Final: Tottenham 1–0 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  37. ↑ "PSG vs Tottenham LIVE: European Champions beat Spurs on penalties to win Super Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  38. ↑ "Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Burnley: Richarlison double helps Spurs to impressive win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  39. ↑ Hafez, Shamoon. "Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur match report". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  40. ↑ Phillips, Terry (16 October 2018). "Brennan's double strike for Wales in Polish success". Dai Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  41. ↑ Davies, Matt (11 September 2018). "Brennan Johnson starts as Wales beaten by Republic of Ireland U19". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  42. ↑ "Wales U21s 1–0 Belgium U21s". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  43. ↑ "Wales suffer quadruple player blow". BBC Sport.
  44. ↑ Pritchard, Dafydd (12 November 2020). "Wales and USA play out goalless draw". BBC Sport.
  45. ↑ "Finland 0–0 Wales: Harry Wilson misses penalty as friendly ends goalless in Helsinki". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  46. ↑ Marsh, Philip (11 June 2022). "Johnson strikes late as Wales draw with Belgium". BBC Sport.
  47. ↑ "World Cup 2022: The 26 Wales players carrying a nation's hopes". 9 November 2022 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  48. ↑ "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.
  49. ↑ Athletic, The. "United States vs Wales Box Score – November 21, 2022". The Athletic. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  50. ↑ "2022 World Cup stats: Iran get first win over European side, hosts Qatar eliminated". ESPN. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  51. ↑ "England national football team: record v Wales". 11v11.com.
  52. ↑ "Rashford double sees England top group as Wales exit". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  53. ↑ "World Cup 2022 – Groups & Schedule". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  54. ↑ Tharme, Liam (29 November 2024). "Back-post Brennan: How Johnson is building his Tottenham career on a trademark goal". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  55. ↑ "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  56. 1 2 "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  57. ↑ "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  58. ↑ "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  59. 1 2 "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  60. ↑ "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  61. ↑ "Games played by Brennan Johnson in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  62. 1 2 "Brennan Johnson: Internationals". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  63. ↑ "Wales vs. Belgium 1–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  64. ↑ "Netherlands vs. Wales 3–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  65. ↑ "Wales vs. Finland 4–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  66. ↑ "Iceland vs. Wales 2–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  67. ↑ "Wales vs. Iceland 4–1: Summary". UEFA. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  68. ↑ Pritchard, Dafydd (9 June 2025). "Belgium 4–3 Wales 4–3". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  69. ↑ Woodcock, Ian (29 May 2022). "Huddersfield Town 0–1 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  70. ↑ "Tottenham vs Man Utd | UEFA Europa League 2024–25 Final". UEFA. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
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