Ange Postecoglou has praised Brennan Johnson’s growing impact during his first season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Johnson, who arrived at Spurs from Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day in September for a hefty £47.5 million ($59.6 million, 55.5 million euros), faced initial challenges in leaving his mark, netting only one goal in the first half of the campaign.
However, the 22-year-old Welsh forward has flourished since December, notably scoring in victories against Brentford and Brighton. Additionally, he has made significant contributions coming off the bench in recent fixtures against Crystal Palace and Luton.
“Brennan was super on the weekend,” said Spurs manager Postecoglou as he reflected on Johnson’s performance in a 2-1 win at home to Luton ahead of Tuesday’s trip to London rivals West Ham.
“He’s still young, he’s developing. He’s moved to a big club where there’s big expectations when you have a big transfer fee, but for the most part I think he’s handled it really well.”
The Australian added: “He started the two games before he came off the bench, he did really well against Villa. He wasn’t great against Fulham but most of the team wasn’t great against Fulham. (Against Luton) he came again off the bench and made an impact.
“He’s another one understanding more and more how we want to play and he’s adjusting to it. Like I said, for the most part, he’s handled himself really well this year.
“It was always going to be a tough introduction for a young player, moving to a big club for a transfer fee, and it’s always harder for attacking players because they are usually measured on goals and assists but I think he’s contributing in more than just that.”
Fifth-placed Spurs remain without Fraser Forster (foot), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Manor Solomon (knee), but Micky van de Ven could start in defence against West Ham after he was an unused substitute against Luton upon his return from a muscle injury.
