Welsh Media Disaapointed with Tottenham Star Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson and Wales recorded a vital 2-1 win over Montenegro in a rainy Niksic on Monday evening, as their unbeaten Nations League campaign continued – but the Tottenham Hotspur winger didn’t receive his share of praise after being thought to have lacked a ‘killer instinct’.

The 23-year-old is eligible to play for Wales through the maternal side of his family, with his mother being from the nation and his grandparents hailing from central Wales – and despite England youth caps, he chose to represent the Dragons back in 2020. But although he’s arguably the most valuable player in the squad in terms of transfer value, Johnson has failed to get firing for Craig Bellamy’s side just yet – and earned a scathing review for his substitute outing in Montenegro.

Johnson Yet to Show ‘Killer Instinct’ For Wales

The winger seemingly needs to show more for the national side

In what was Wales’ first win since their emphatic 4-1 win over Finland to make the EURO 2024 play-off vs Poland – a run stretching four games without a win, including a shambolic 0-0 draw with Gibraltar back in June – many including goalscorers Keiffer Moore and Harry Wilson earned praise from Welsh website ‘Y Clwb Pel-Droed’ for their outings in Eastern Europe.

However, Johnson was not one of the lucky recipients of a glowing review, instead earning a solemn 5/10 rating for his performance after coming off the bench for Burnley’s Connor Roberts, with the fan page stating that his ‘killer instinct’ has yet to be seen in a Wales shirt. It read:

Johnson Has Proven Himself in The Premier League

Johnson joined Tottenham last season in a £47.5million move from hometown side Nottingham Forest, after he had enjoyed a decent first campaign in the Premier League with the Reds under Steve Cooper.

Moving to Forest at the age of just eight years old, Johnson made his debut with the club back in 2019 – though with only a handful of appearances, he was loaned to Lincoln City – where he enjoyed his breakthrough spell at Sincil Bank.

From there, Johnson has gone on to become an important player for both clubs; 19 goals in 53 appearances for Forest the following season saw them promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, and a decent first spell in the top-flight saw Johnson feature in every single game with eight goals to boot, as they stayed up in the penultimate game of the campaign with a win over Tottenham’s bitter rivals, Arsenal.

He wasn’t as productive for Tottenham in his first campaign, but he still managed five goals in 32 games for the north London outfit in the Premier League, though it was his 10 Premier League assists under Ange Postecoglou that really showed his credentials.

But despite his club form, Johnson has never quite hit it off for Wales. He’s only scored three goals in 30 caps, and with Wilson, David Brooks and Daniel James to compete with on the wings, there could be a case for the Tottenham forward to be put on the bench when everyone is at full fitness.

Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 11-09-24.