Since Brennan Johnson left Nottingham Forest to join Tottenham Hotspur, the two sides’ fortunes have flipped in the Premier League.
Ironically, former Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been the driving force behind Forest’s rise into Champions League contenders, leaving his former employers languishing in 13th in the process.
Forest sold Johnson to Spurs, and it’s fair to say they’ve used the money wisely, bringing in Anthony Elanga as his replacement for a fraction of the fee.
While Elanga has starred in the Forest squad this season, Spurs fans criticised Johnson on his Forest return in what has been a frustrating campaign for the Welshman, who hasn’t received universal love in London despite his 14 goals in all competitions.
However, Newcastle remain strongly interested in signing Elanga as their new star right winger, which has always kept Johnson in the back of the mind for Forest fans as a potential replacement for the Swedish international.
If this thought is to turn into a reality, though, one prominent Reds journalist has revealed one detail that could tempt Johnson back to the City Ground.
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
After the Premier League guaranteed a fifth Champions League spot, the chances of Forest claiming one of them look to be hard to bet against.
MORE FOREST STORIES
Four points from consecutive games against Arsenal and Manchester City have left Espirito Santo’s side in a solid position that will surely have piqued the interest of Johnson.
According to Paul Taylor of The Athletic, who was conducting a Forest Q&A, this continental football factor could well see the 23-year-old back in the famous Garribaldi.
Taylor said: “I’d guess that he’d be more than happy to come back to Forest to play Champions League football, if they do manage to get themselves over the line for that, of course.
“But there might be a few more complicating factors involved. Not least the fact that Anthony Elanga has been a pretty exciting replacement for him. He has been brilliant down the Forest right.
“One more wide player/forward added to the mix would be very useful, of course, particularly one of Brennan’s quality. Would he get into the team right now? That’s a different question, or perhaps the question is where he would fit in. It’s definitely an interesting idea.”
An interesting idea, indeed, but Champions League qualification would actually present a scenario that would make a signing like Johnson an incredibly necessary addition to the Forest squad.
Brennan Johnson would be a crucial homegrown addition to the Nottingham Forest squad
The Forest Academy is currently producing some promising players, with Zach Abbott learning from the first team defenders in training and the likes of Dale Taylor and Joe Gardner starring on loan in League One.
Realistically, though, only Ryan Yates can be described as a first-team player from the academy, which presents an issue for UEFA competitions.
Forest signed Joel Ndala for him to become a homegrown player in a few years as UEFA rules state that each squad must contain four players that have been trained at the club for three years, between the ages of 15 and 21.
Therefore, bringing Johnson back would be another player that would qualify within these guidelines, easing the pressure on Espirito Santo to have to pick a player like Abbott, who may not quite be ready for Champions League minutes.
Elsewhere, a player like Matty Cash would also qualify as a homegrown option, but in a similar way to Johnson, Forest would be attempting to do business with a direct Premier League rival.
The excitement of qualifying for UEFA competition is the main thing for now, but Evangelos Marinakis will need to start to consider this issue of homegrown talent as Forest look to build for continental football.