Tottenham opted not to replace Brennan Johnson after selling him to Crystal Palace in the past winter transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur are going through a rough patch under Thomas Frank, and the lack of investment in the January transfer window hasn’t exactly made things any better.
Conor Gallagher and Souza were the only additions to the first-team squad, while Spurs bolstered their Under-21s roster with the last-gasp hijack of Arsenal’s move for James Wilson. The young Wilson has joined from Scottish Premiership side Hearts on loan for the remainder of the season, with an option to purchase included in the deal.
Despite an ongoing injury crisis, Tottenham providing very little backing in the transfer market to Thomas Frank frustrated the supporters. And this came after the club pocketed £35million for the sale of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace at the start of the winter window.
Tottenham decided to sell Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace in January
Tottenham decided to sell Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace in January
Thomas Frank opens up on Tottenham selling Brennan Johnson and not replacing him
Brennan Johnson joined Spurs in a £47.5m deal from Nottingham Forest in the summer 2023 and scored the winner in the Europa League final against Manchester United last season, ending the club’s 17-year-long wait for silverware. But, the Wales international’s minutes were limited under Thomas Frank this season, with the winger making most of his 22 appearances off the bench.
Having become surplus to requirements for Frank, the club chiefs sensed an opportunity to cash in on Johnson amid interest from several clubs. Crystal Palace showed the most desire and signed the versatile attacker. It was expected that the Lilywhites would sign a replacement for Johnson, but nothing materialised.
Addressing the media ahead of the Manchester United game, Frank was asked whether he regrets sanctioning Johnson’s sale now. To which, the Tottenham gaffer responded (h/t Football London):
“There’s a lot of moving parts in every decision, in terms of when you sell a player or when you buy a player. You can say if you play 3-4-3, we have right now five available players for the front three, which is a decent number.
“Hopefully Richy back soon, then we are six, and when Mo comes back, then we are seven. So, if you look at it from that perspective, I think it’s okay.”
Frank appeared to be defensive in his response regarding Johnson’s sale. When the decision was made to offload the Welshman, Tottenham still lacked numbers in the wide department. Then Kudus and Richarlison got injured, reducing Frank’s options in attack.
With none of Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert and Randal Kolo Muani delivering the goods consistently in the final third, it was poor from Spurs’ management to overlook reinforcing the attacking department. All fans will now hope is that the decision not to replace Johnson doesn’t come back to bite Frank and the club.