Ange let Spurs star leave in 2023, now he’s massively outperforming Johnson

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2024/25 marketing campaign has been considerably stop-start, however there are indicators that Spurs have hit a wealthy vein of kind and are starting to convey all of it collectively.

Final weekend’s 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Outdated Trafford was arguably the assertion victory of Ange Postecoglou’s reign, successfully lifting the membership again into the limelight after a poor opening part that allowed these on the high of the Premier League to create prompt house forward.

Tottenham are bridging that hole with a proficient group beginning to shine, with some gamers proving to be the focal factors.

One man specifically is actually going from energy to energy: Brennan Johnson. The Wales worldwide has confronted his share of detractors since shifting to north London, however he is beginning to silence the doubters.

Brennan Johnson’s season in numbers

Johnson has a school for ball-carrying. Fast ft, dribbling that crackles with electrical energy and a reliably churning gasoline tank, he is proving to be a superb choice for Postecoglou, particularly now that captain Son Heung-min has been sidelined with a hamstring damage.

The 23-year-old has ebbed and flowed from fascinating efficiency for a lot of his Tottenham profession, however has stepped up big-time not too long ago, remarkably scoring 5 targets in his previous 5 matches – fairly the streak.

Now, the targets are coming in apace. Johnson seldom proved that he will be the form of winger to attain with high-level consistency all through his maiden 12 months, however 5 targets in as many latest matches showcases a knack that’s going to serve Postecoglou effectively all through the marketing campaign as he battles for fulfillment throughout a number of fronts.

As per FBref, he additionally ranks among the many high 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers throughout Europe’s high 5 leagues over the previous 12 months for assists (0.36) and the highest 7% for touches within the attacking penalty space (7.22) per 90, illustrating his fleet-footedness and consequent playmaking prowess.

It is pleasing stuff, not least as a result of he isn’t firing at aim profligately, as a substitute studying to be extra economical in his attacking efforts and extra medical together with his shot-taking.

Postecoglou signed Johnson from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest in a deal value £47.5m final August, which was a price that raised a number of eyebrows, for Johnson had solely plied his commerce at top-flight stage for one 12 months.

He was a part of a group that was tasked with compensating for the lack of membership legend Harry Kane, who has now been straight changed by Dominic Solanke, however is of such a lofty customary that he was solely ever going to be supplanted within the combination.

Talking of Kane, he has – in fact – been good for Bayern Munich this season. Tottenham may need a prolific new star in Johnson, however he is nowhere close to the extent of the England captain, who has began the 2024/25 season in distinctive kind, with ten targets and 5 assists from solely eight video games throughout all competitions.

Harry Kane’s performances for Bayern Munich

Kane has performed most of his profession soccer with Tottenham, however accomplished a £100m switch to Bayern in August 2023 after scoring 280 targets and including 61 assists throughout 235 appearances for the north Londoners.

The England skipper was due his flowers and obtained them, allowed with affection to pursue a profession abroad to earn his fortune in silverware. He left a “famous person” together with his head held excessive as Spurs’ all-time high scorer – and his nation’s, too.

Sarcastically, although, his career-long drought continued throughout his first 12 months in Bavaria, with Bayern toppled within the Bundesliga by the invincible Bayer Leverkusen earlier than shedding the Euro 2024 last with England. The anticipate a significant honour drags on.

Kane won’t have gotten his mitts on the Premier League trophy throughout his distinguished profession in his homeland, however he did show himself to be one of many best forwards to grace the competitors, sitting second within the all-time scoring charts and with a superior strike charge to the report holder, Alan Shearer.

Tottenham have been by no means going to have the ability to change him final season, so maybe Postecoglou was pondering in 4D when deciding to easily not achieve this. Son stepped as much as a focal function at centre-forward and carried out with aplomb, scoring 16 targets and supplying 5 assists from 24 video games as a striker underneath the Australian’s wing.

Johnson additionally deputised up high on a handful of events, most notably in the course of the 2-0 defeat towards Manchester Metropolis on the finish of the 2023/24 marketing campaign – the £70k-per-week expertise was at all times going to have a tricky time towards Pep Guardiola’s defensive titans, however he proved that he can function successfully in a hybrid centre-forward function, profitable all 4 of his floor duels and making three key passes, as per Sofascore.

In accord with the remainder of his profession, Kane blitzed his manner via German soccer final season, albeit with out profitable something. The 31-year-old famous person notched 44 targets and 12 assists throughout 45 fixtures, with Die Roten CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen remarking that he’s a “365-degree striker” who had swiftly “conquered the hearts of our followers within the truest sense of the phrase”.

He is an immense striker, and with a quick begin to the present marketing campaign leaving him with as many assists as Johnson has targets – with ten strikes of his personal – it is clear that Kane is the gold customary who may by no means get replaced down in N17.