Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe’s managerial calibre has melded nicely with technical director Dan Ashworth’s diligence on the transfer front.
Since the completion of the £300m Saudi-backed takeover in October 2021, the Magpies have taken flight and need two victories from their final three Premier League matches of the term to clinch Champions League football for the first time in two decades.
This is a remarkable feat considering relegation looked likely before the midpoint of the 21/22 season, and while money has been spent across the past three transfer windows, business has been conducted astutely and the club now look towards a future brighter than most outfits could dare to dream.
Enriching the ranks with further quality is paramount, especially vis-à-vis the Champions League, and Nottingham Forest flanker Brennan Johnson is one player being looked at by Dan Ashworth and co.
That’s according to Football Transfers, who state that ‘a number of Premier League clubs have registered an interest’ in the 21-year-old winger, though Forest will rebuff any advances for the ace on the transfer market this summer.
Should Newcastle sign Brennan Johnson?
Last summer, the precocious Welshman penned a new deal at the City Ground until 2026, having played an instrumental and prolific role in the club’s triumphant return to the top flight after more than two decades away, scoring 19 goals and supplying a further nine assists.
The 18-cap Wales international has continued his fine form into the current season, landing ten goals and three assists from 42 matches across all competitions, with eight goals and all three assists in the Premier League,
A dynamic attacking outlet, the £30k-per-week gem ranks among the top 10% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 16% for rate of tackles and the top 19% for rate of blocks per 90, as per FBref.
With the signing of the £36m-rated machine, Newcastle’s £45m winger Anthony Gordon, who arrived from Everton in the winter transfer window, could find opportunities even harder to come by after flattering to deceive thus far.
A fleet-footed and nimble wide-man, Gordon has a wealth of potential but has failed to exhibit the full scope of his skill set on Tyneside, yet to register a goal or an assist from 13 appearances under Howe’s wing.
With the “fastest player in the Premier League” – as dubbed Sheldon Miller – Johnson proving his worth with his cutting edge and dynamism in his first top-flight season, the next step in his development could put him in stellar stead to dominate the flanks and leave the former Evertonian cutting a forlorn figure indeed.
While Football Transfers states that Forest’s resolve will be unwavering when considering the future of their prized asset, a plummet back into the second tier would leave a tenuous grip on their bargaining power.
While Steve Cooper’s men are in relative comfort ahead of their final two league fixtures of the campaign, three points and two places above 18th-placed Leeds United, defeat across the forthcoming fixtures – at home against Arsenal before a trip to Crystal Palace – would spell danger, should the lower-placed teams clinch a coveted victory.
And with St. James’ Park boasting the tools to prise him away, a move could certainly be forthcoming, spelling misfortune for Forest and potentially Gordon too.