Sport
Brennan Johnson’s impressive form at Nottingham Forest
For all the talk of the mass influx of players at Nottingham Forest since promotion to the Premier League last May, their standout player was arguably an original squad member. Brennan Johnson was always destined for the Premier League. He had attracted admiring glances from top flight clubs well before Forest came up last season, and they would surely have circled had victory not fallen their way at Wembley. He was expected to be the star man coming into the new season, but 22 new signings, including big names like Jesse Lingard, Dean Henderson and Morgan Gibbs-White, meant he has gone under the radar somewhat.
Manager Steve Cooper has maintained that so many new signings were needed because the squad in the Championship was propped up by loans. Given Cooper arrived with Forest in the relegation zone, when the threat of a return to League One a serious possibility, they weren’t ready for the Premier League. But for Johnson, so far at least, he looks well at home in the big league.
It was a slow start for him as it was for Forest generally. At the end of October they had just two wins to their name – albeit one was against Liverpool – and had been on the end of humbling defeats to Manchester City, Leicester and Liverpool. While not a huge surprise considering the lack of cohesion within a squad that had not only just been formed, but was consistently being added to for the entire transfer window. Cooper was under pressure as results continued to flounder and performances didn’t improve, but the Forest owners knew what the reality of the situation was.
They signed him to a new contract, much to the fans’ approval. And from then on, things have got better. As with any Premier League newcomer, peaks and troughs are natural, and the defeat at high flying Fulham was another wake up call. But now they look like a Premier League side, despite Lingard and Henderson being injured for long periods.
Johnson has five goals and two assists in 22 games this term, including a crucial winner against Leeds last week. But it is his pace and directness from central and wide areas that have really caught the eye. Forest assistant Alan Tate spoke highly of Johnson recently, in both the context of club football and the Wales national team, who are in need of a talisman after Gareth Bale’s recent retirement.
“We all know the excitement that Brennan is bringing to the nation,” Tate said.
“When I was back home [in Wales] in the summer, he was the big topic with anyone I spoke to.
“People wanted to know what Brennan was like – is he as good as the form he was showing at the end of last season and also with Wales against Belgium and Holland in the summer?
“The only answer I could give was that he is. He is a brilliant lad, quite quiet, but works really hard. In front of goal he is really good and he is definitely the future of Welsh football.”
It is much the same story for him in a Wales shirt, too. There is promise and lots of it, but thanks to Bale and Aaron Ramsey, not much spotlight. All that is about to change, though, because if the World Cup showed anything, it is that Wales need a fresh start. Even if Bale hadn’t called time on his career, there would have been a different emphasis.
Johnson is one of the next breed of Welsh star alongside the likes of Dan James and Ethan Ampadu. They have great potential and excellent attributes, but minimal experience. Welsh football is at an unusual crossroads; one era is ending, but such was its success, reaching three of the last four major tournaments, expectation has grown exponentially.
If the Forest man is to fill the void left by Bale, he’ll need to step up to the next level. But the evidence is there that he can do that; in a cluttered, incoherent Forest environment, he has slowly begun to stand out. For all the money spent and signings made, the one they had the highest hopes for is proving his worth.
