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Tottenham Hotspur cult hero Jurgen Klinsmann believes Brennan Johnson has talent and potential but has not yet established himself as a proven goalscorer, as Crystal Palace look to prise him away from N17.
Johnson has made 16 Premier League appearances for Spurs under Thomas Frank this season, scoring two goals, while also netting once in both the Champions League and the EFL Cup.
Last season, under Ange Postecoglou, Johnson enjoyed his most productive spell at Tottenham, finishing as the club’s top scorer with 18 goals across all competitions, the only campaign in which he reached double figures for the Lilywhites, and famously netting the Europa League final winner.
Postecoglou was a firm fan of Johnson and stressed he had much growth left in him.
Tottenham are now open to selling the 24-year-old, who joined the club for nearly £50m in 2023, and have accepted a bid from Crystal Palace for him.
Now the ball is in Johnson’s court over if he wants to go, while he also has interest from other sides.
Klinsmann feels that Frank will be keen to get the players he wants in the January transfer window, though it remains unclear which areas of the squad will be targeted.
He stressed the need for the club’s management to back the manager, while warning that competition for top targets will be fierce, with other clubs also looking to strengthen.
Job Reign Germany 2004-2006 Bayern Munich 2008-2009 United States 2011-2016 Hertha Berlin 2019-2020 South Korea 2023-2024 Jurgen Klinsmann’s managerial career
On Johnson, the Spurs cult hero acknowledged the forward’s talent and potential, but questioned his goalscoring reliability, saying he has yet to demonstrate he can churn out 20 to 25 goals a season amid mounting talk of his exit.
Klinsmann said on ESPN FC (37:19): “Yes, I hope for him [Frank] that he gets, you know, whoever he has in mind, that he gets that opportunity to take that player.
“I don’t know who he has in mind, in which part of the team. If it’s a forward, if it’s a midfielder, if it’s whatever he needs, and I hope that the management there is with him and gives him that opportunity.
“But obviously it’s going to be a race for the best out there in January.
“Not only Spurs will go into the transfer market.
“There will be other teams digging a little bit deeper and figuring out a way, maybe, to get one or two real enforcements for their squad.
“But I think, from the outside looking in, it’s very difficult.
“Brennan Johnson, for me, is a player that obviously has a huge potential, has an enormous amount of talent, but he’s not a proven goalscorer.
“He doesn’t give you 20, 25 goals a season, so it will be interesting to see if they move him on.”
If the Welshman moves on, Frank could be better positioned to strengthen his squad with attackers that suit his plans for the rest of the season, possibly targeting a more reliable goalscorer.