EVERTON SIGN BRENNAN JOHNSON!

Welcome to Toffee TV. Everton have made a signing. They have brought Brennan Johnson in from Crystal Palace with Dwight McNeil going the other way. It is a straight swap. It's unheard of. It's baffling to some people. Some people just cannot get their heads around why we we've signed Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil has has gone the other way. It's it's blowing people's minds left, right, and center, but it's happened. And he's now an Everton player. What do you think about that, James? >> Yeah, I I we spoke about him quite a bit now, but I think he sort of suits what Everton need. I think Dwight McNeil, for what his strengths are and his skills, I think Everton have players in that position who are much better than him and potentially in the moment of creativity if you end up getting him as well. So, he was always going to be a worse option of them two. Yeah. And I think the type of profile that Brennan Johnson is, I think Palace also have like an abundance of that profile with like Eze and Olise and Ismaila Sarr and Everton don't really have anyone. So, I think it's one that really it works for both teams. You both need that type of player and we both could just swap it easily. And whether one team got the benefit or one of them came off worse, I don't know, but both teams have got a player that they sort of need for their systems. I think it's key. >> I think I think that's the top and bottom of it, isn't it? This idea that um you know, this idea that why are we signing him or or how good was he for the other team or any of this kind of thing? I think it's it doesn't it doesn't really matter. We know Brennan Johnson has got attributes that we don't have in our side, which is pace. Um you know, whether that's on the right, that's on the left, whether it's centrally, someone that can come in at the far post and you know, you you know, for the tap-ins coming in from the other side. It's a different profile from what we've got and in what seemingly like a tight market, you know, because you know, you can we can moan all we want about why isn't there more money and why isn't this being done and why isn't that being done? And we say that we will moan about it, of course we will. We can ask those questions. But until we get the answers, we have to make smart signings. And I think this is a smart signing. You know, he's signing for four years, so there's definitely an idea that this is a player that Everton obviously are you know, looking to the future with. Um, and for me I I just think it makes complete sense because they didn't want to be in a a straight swap. Dwight McNeil was going out the door no matter what. The question was who was you [clears throat] know, who was prepared to pay money for him or you know, who was prepared to take that chance on him. Everton seeing that David Moyes made it known that he's not really part of his plans. He's He's He's done that since day one. Yes, he's had moments and he had moments last season where he did come into the team and he offered something a little bit different, but Everton have been desperate for some pace and I just find that we are we essentially are getting a free player. That's the way I'm thinking about it anyway. >> Yeah. I think um, just off of what you said about Dwight McNeil. I think everyone knew his time was over at Everton and obviously he nearly went to Palace in January. And I I don't know. I I think you can appreciate what Dwight McNeil done for Everton probably in you know, rougher times. But I think Everton, if you want to continue to grow, you sort of have to get past that. And you know, relying on things like set pieces and you know, his crosses and stuff isn't what Everton needs to do to take that next step. Now, I think for a time it was perfect for Everton and he did come up with moments where, you know, decisive moments where we needed someone to get a goal out of nowhere or whip in a perfect cross. But I think Everton now, you know, if we do want to you know, start fighting for Europe properly or really go at it, I don't think having players like Dwight McNeil especially starting yeah, makes sense for Everton anymore. And the fact he was on like nine months well, not nine months, only 1 year left on his contract. He weren't going to get a new deal and Everton were going to have to get rid of him somehow and Palace seemed to have like a plan in mind for him considering they came back for him for the second time. And I've seen Palace fans online talk about him saying, you know, he'll play in left wing-back or play him as a bit more of a 10. And I do think they probably do suit him more than playing on on the wing where he has been for Everton just because, you know, we seen it like defensively his work rate was probably suiting him at the left back and then when he came into the 10 it was sort of like a fresh I don't know, fresh room for him. So, I think for him having like a whole new place to play at, a new new club and a completely fresh start is perfect for him and then Everton also in return get pace which we've been absolutely crying out for. Someone who's a bit more direct and I think Everton's squad consists of a lot of players who are like quite creative and will, you know, create chances for Brennan Johnson. And, you know, we we were going through his goals, you know, a lot of them at the back post just tapping it in and stuff like that. And I think at Everton he'll get loads of them chances. It's just he just needs to sort of finish off the attacks which when you go through like what Spurs fans are saying and what Palace fans and even Forest, that was that was sort of his best attribute was just finishing the thing, maybe not creating them but finishing them. I think that's ultimately what Everton needs. >> I think just having someone who's got who's an out ball as well, who's a runner who can you can put the ball over the top to. The amount of times, you know, seeing the way Everton have been playing under David Moyes, you know, soaking up the pressure. We saw it last season when we play away from home, you know, those are games where we where we soak up the pressure defensively and then we try and hit teams on the break. If you've got an out ball, if you've got genuine pace where you can, you know, put the ball into the into the corners and then allow players to run at someone, >> Yeah. >> it makes you it gives you a different sting to your bow. We know that we've got the likes of Enner Valencia pick the ball up but as as much as we all love to see Enner Valencia pick the ball up, he does slow down the play when he does that and that allows the opposition to get back. Well, you imagine if you've got like an engine on the down and then someone like Brennan Johnson going past him and giving him and then a ball that he can give it to him. As I say, I like I don't think anyone's making out like this is like the league um transfer that is going to like transform Everton into this amazing side, but I think he's just something that we haven't had and I think for me there's no real fanfare in this. It's just like a really solid signing and it gives him an opportunity the same way it gives to Leighton opportunity for a fresh start. Yeah. He has made a pass long. We know that it hasn't worked and sometimes that's sometimes it doesn't work and sometimes it is better and they've got a new manager in. Sometimes it's better to just get a change as fast as possible and move on as fast as possible. And listen, you know, a change is good as a rest. He might go to Palace and he might be amazing. He might find a position for him and it might work and they get all their attributes. For me, Twice is a hangover from an era that I don't want to revisit again. It's an It's the dice here. It's the era where we were really, really struggling. He came up with some really big moments, but at the same time he was also a symptom of, you know, he was part of the the reason we were there in the first place like so many of those players. And I want to see those players, you know, leave the football club because they were they were never good enough and you have to that you have to do that. Like you said before, you have to do If you want to improve, you have to look past that and that's that's the For me personally, I know some people look at it very differently and have more sorts of a attach more emotion to it. But if you want to start having big moments in football and getting to the genuine emotion, which is winning trophies and being a team who gets into Europe, you'll have to move past those players and that's for Everton to do one at a time and we've still got more of those in our squad and people shouldn't look at it as in like oh, you're scapegoating or you're looking for the play you look you're having a go with a player. You should be like you have to weed out the weaknesses, yeah, and you have to do that all as as much as you can. And when you got an opportunity to move them on, you just move them on, and as I said, some people will have admiration, and some people just say thanks and bye, and you know, and that's that's that's football. People will leave your club one way or another, so I'm happy to see I'm happy to see him in. Looking forward to seeing how we use him. Um you know, I don't think this jeopardizes the possibility Jack Grealish is coming back. I don't think it it means we have to sell Ings. I think what we're doing is we're swapping one player in the squad. Don't let's not forget Dwight McNeil was on the bench >> Yeah. >> for most of last season, and was part of the squad, and got into the team at times. The only time he was never really on the bench was when the Palace move failed. So, he was part of the squad. So, in other words, every time David Moyes looked at the man looked at the squad, there was a possibility he could brought him on, and he did bring him on in some games. You know, it didn't work in some games. I But, that's where Brennan Johnson is now, where you look he he he might be on the bench, and he looks at him and goes, I need some pace. Or, it might be a case that he starts games. But, what he's got is more is a fighting chance. I don't I think the manager looked at Dwight McNeil as in like, that's the last sort of that's the that's the that's the scenario I don't really want, or or whatever, you know. So, now he's got a chance, and I think he it's on him to get into the team. >> Mhm. >> And that's it. And we've got a we've got a good player who showed he showed he was a good player at Forest, showed good stuff at Tottenham, top goal scorer season before last, scored the winning goal in a in a Europa League final. >> Yeah. >> You know, he's won two Europeans. I know he wasn't really involved last season with Palace, but he We one, you know, two European trophies in two years. >> yeah. My God, we you know, to have some players like that in our squad then so I'm I'm just I'm just happy, positive with the with it and and now now we move on to the next one. >> Yeah, I think absolutely. I think as you said, with Grealish, I think Anthony Grealish, I think if you have to sort of pick an ideal with that in mind, you'd still have Anthony and Grealish as your wingers, but I think he gives a great option and more competition and you know, in games where, you know, Everton chasing it or, you know, you need a goal, having a player like Dan who is rapid is key. That's what we seen him do with Forest at the end of last season, you know, finding out he has pace and that he was like sort of, you know, causing issues to the opposition with it. And so now we've got Brennan Johnson, I think it works works perfectly for both teams, really. >> Yeah. It's nice as well to have um a Welsh international uh sort of before your time, but Everton have got a really really good tradition of having Welsh internationals in our in our squad. Ashley Williams. They got I mean, they got they're the the number one there, but we've always had a really good tradition, so it's nice to have one. Let's have a look at uh his numbers, Brennan Johnson's numbers from um the last few seasons. >> Well, last season it was split between Palace and Spurs and across the season he played 48 games. Four goals, two assists. Obviously, all four games were for Spurs. The season before that, which is the big one we've been talking about, I mean, talk all scored he played 51 games for Spurs, had 18 goals and four assists. Then the year before that, his first year at Spurs, he played 34 times, five goals, 10 assists. And then the year before that, his first season in the Premier League with Forest, was 44 games, 10 goals, three assists. So, if you're looking at all of his seasons besides last year, he's always around, you know, 15 mark, you know, sometimes way above it, you know, like last like the season before last again, 22 combined goals and assists. And I think Everton especially right now I think a lot of the complaints is about you know like body and stuff like that not getting enough goals and I think he's a symptom of sort of the environment because you know in Dwight the style and Grealish's style and even like Joe Willock they're not like notorious goal scorers it's not like what they go out for whereas I think Brennan Johnson that is sort of his style you know he will get to hopefully anyway get double figures in goals or at least push it which then alleviates pressure off I have a body >> or the better. >> And then I think that pressure you know works like mentally for them to like go on and play better and so this is the type of player I think Everton needs someone who's more of a forward out wide. >> Yeah. >> But cuz going by them stats it sort of proves it if he can get anywhere close to them numbers it's more than probably any our wingers have been getting recently. >> It's a It's a It's a fresh start a blank slate and we just we take it and it's the as I said before it's the same twice the polish it's the same the new start you know they don't bring don't don't bring you know you don't need to bring your baggage from what you've just gone through and and it's um it's an opportunity and as I just I mean just on Johnson as well you know he moved to Spurs for 50 like 50 million quid there there abouts he moved to Palace for 35 million and we've just effectively got him for nothing you know like that's the way to look at it we are basically getting a player for nothing as far as I'm concerned so from that point of view I'm just looking at it as all pluses. >> And even if if if you count Dwight McNeil how much do you think Everton would even get for him now the fact that you know he is on his last year they would accept him 20 million in January and it's like all they've done little factors like him coming to the club where to buy McNeil how much would they realistically be paying >> Well I'll be honest I wasn't really sitting around waiting for someone to for Dwight McNeil to be sold and then to reinvest that money do you know what I mean I was that's not you know I don't believe that the money we would have got for Dwight McNeil would have came round to being a sizable enough money to to get a Brennan Johnson, nowhere near. So, for me for me, it's just a free play. And I I think that's the mindset most people should I think everyone should think about. It's just a just a free player. So, there we go. He's in, Brennan Johnson, 4 years. >> Signed up to 2030. In the future. Well, I mean, literally in the future, but you know what I mean. Um and good luck to him and hopefully hopefully you know, we see a player come to Everton transformed and does the business. Let us know your thoughts in the comments on this signing. And then who do you want next? Cuz that's always the next one. Who do you want next? Uh give this video a a like. Hype this video as well. That's a new thing. Start hyping the videos. Uh and if you want more great videos, join us over on Toffee TV. Premier link in the description. QR codes coming on the screen now. See you later.