Crystal Palace’s decision to sign Brennan Johnson in a £35m move from Tottenham back in January is looking worse with each game.
There is no other way to put it – the former Nottingham Forest star has been utterly dreadful since swapping north London for south London.
The Welshman is still yet to score in 26 competitive appearances for Crystal Palace, and was completely anonymous during his 45 minutes in recent friendlies against Swindon and Bromley.
Not only does that £35m fee now look to be a total waste of money from Matt Hobbs – Sporting Director at Selhurst Park – but there should be palpable anger at how much Johnson’s salary will cost us in total by the time his contract expires in July 2030.
Do any of these players have a future under Pierre Sage?
Barring a sale, Brennan Johnson will cost Crystal Palace £60.7m in total
Johnson signed a four-and-a-half year contract when arriving from Tottenham back in the winter, which is worth a staggering £110,000-a-week according to Capology.
There are 234 weeks in that space of time. So, 234 lots of £110,000 equates to £25.7m – which is more than Dougie Freedman spent to sign both Michael Olise and Daniel Munoz combined.
Add that £25.7m sum to his £35m price tag, and Crystal Palace are staring at a total investment of £60.7m by the time Johnson’s contract ends in July 2030, unless the Wales international is sold before then.
On the evidence of his performances in red and blue so far, nobody will be interested in taking the 25-year-old off our hands whatsoever.
In that respect, it is imperative that Pierre Sage finds a way to help Johnson – who has not impressed in training.
A club of our size cannot afford to have a £60.7m dud running around like a headless chicken for the next four years. He needs to step up, and quickly.
The aforementioned friendlies against Swindon and Bromley haven’t even been negative on the basis of Johnson simply missing a good chance or just making tiny mistakes.
I watched the Crystal Palace No.23 fail to complete basic, five-yard passes in both matches. It is nowhere near good enough.
How can Brennan Johnson make a name for himself at Crystal Palace? 🏴
Whether it be down to a lack of confidence, or the fact Johnson is simply a poor fit for a 3-4-3 formation, something seriously has to change, and fast.
