Brennan Johnson was one of the bright attacking sparks in the Nottingham Forest attack before being sold to Tottenham, but one young starlet is showing similar traits.
When Forest sold Johnson to Tottenham on the 2023/24 summer transfer deadline day, it wasn’t clear whether the likes of Anthony Elanga would have the ability and consistency to replace the Welshman’s output in the Forest squad.
Since that moment, though Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi have flourished under Nuno Espirito Santo, almost leaving the Forest Academy graduate as a distant memory. Forest scouts believed Elanga and Hudson-Odoi could replace Johnson and they have been proven right this season especially.
Spurs fans criticised Johnson on his Forest return on Boxing Day too, which must’ve made Evangelos Marinakis feel particularly smug, especially given that Elanga scored the winning goal for the Reds.
What will be making the Forest owner even more smug, though, is the performances of one young Forest star out on loan, who recently showed eerie similarities to Johnson with a well-taken goal.
Photo by Chris Vaughan/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Vaughan/Getty Images
Joe Gardner shows Brennan Johnson traits in Lincoln City goal
Shockingly, Johnson was tipped for a move back to Forest should Elanga be sold as Newcastle continue to circle, but the Reds may already have a Johnson replica in the form of Joe Gardner.
It wasn’t the ideal start to his half-season loan spell as Gardner was sent off on debut for Lincoln City after just four minutes on the pitch, leaving onlooking Forest fans surely worried about how the rest of his loan spell would transpire.
However, all worries were put to bed on Tuesday night as Gardner scored his first EFL goal in a 4-1 Lincoln victory over Crawley Town.
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Ryan Yates posted his support for Gardner on Instagram which was a nice touch by the Forest captain, but Reds fans will have been more interested in the goal itself, as it drew remarkable comparisons to how Johnson operates.
Recieving the ball on the left wing, Gardner showed his direct confidence to drive at the Crawley defence and rather than cutting inside to find a pass, he continued into the box to fire a low strike across the goalkeeper and in off the far post.
A style of finish that Johnson mastered himself, the Welshman continues to show the very same attributes at Spurs this season.
Brennan Johnson scored a near-identical goal for Tottenham this season
Forest fans hailed Johnson’s display at Manchester United after the winger opened the scoring, but it was his goal against Brentford that showed the most similarities to Gardner’s strike on Tuesday.
On the opposite flank, Johnson drove into the box and fired low past Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal to give Spurs a 2-1 lead on the day, showing he still possesses the very same abilities that used to light up the City Ground.
It must be something that the Forest coaching staff have mastered, given the distinct similarities between the two strikes, something that Reds fans won’t mind as they’ll be delighted with the idea of Gardner getting anywhere near the levels that Johnson showed at Spurs.
Gardner and Lincoln have the monumental task of taking on runaway League One leaders, Birmingham City, on Saturday, a game that Forest fans will now be keeping a keen eye on given the Johnson revelations revealed on Tuesday night.