Brennan Johnson was Forest’s homegrown star who came of age to earn his £47.5m move to Tottenham… now he could pile the pressure on the man who played a defining role in his career when he lines up against Steve Cooper’s side for Spurs

• Johnson could line up against his old side when Forest host Spurs on Friday
• Forest had no choice but to sell Johnson in the summer due to FFP constraints
• Mauricio Pochettino looks bewildered! Serial winners are the SIXTH best team in London – It’s All Kicking Off 

Nottingham Forest’s difficulties this season can be blamed on many different factors – and one of them will be wearing the No22 shirt for Tottenham at the City Ground on Friday.

Say what you like about Forest’s chaotic transfer policy, their patchy performances or Steve Cooper’s strained relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis. Remove a £50million player from any club outside the Premier League’s wealthy elite and it is likely to have a negative impact.

Brennan Johnson was Forest’s homegrown star who came of age thrillingly in the top flight last term. His eight goals helped keep the club in the division and made him a target for the Premier League’s powerhouses.

The 22-year-old is a refreshingly uncomplicated footballer: quick, direct, and able to finish with either foot. He can also play in any position across the front line – a vital asset in modern football.

Forest knew midway through last season that would have to sell Johnson as they try to stay within Financial Fair Play limits and the £47.5million – which can be banked as pure profit as he is an academy product – was too good to turn down, especially as Johnson had ended last season outside the starting XI.

Brennan Johnson is set to face his old team when he lines up for Tottenham against Forest

Johnson left Forest to join Spurs for £47.5m in the summer but will get a good reception

Yet with Johnson’s departure, Forest have lost far more than his own attacking threat. Morgan Gibbs-White developed an impressive understanding with Johnson during their only campaign together and Gibbs-White has not shone as brightly without his old pal.

More importantly, Johnson is a Nottingham lad who loves Forest and whose father, David, played for the club. When Forest signed enough new players to make the head spin last season, Johnson and fellow youth products Joe Worrall and Ryan Yates provided an important link between the dressing room and the stands.

Now Johnson has gone, Worrall has not played since October 21 and Yates has started only five times in the league this term. The spirit does not seem as strong as it was during last season’s fight for survival and in that context, Johnson’s remarks in an interview with Mail Sport last January feel significant.

‘I’ve played here since I was eight and I went to school around the corner,’ he explained. ‘My hero back then was Robert Earnshaw, who was playing up front for Forest at the time. Everyone wanted to play for Forest.

‘So to be a local player means everything and having local players in the squad is important, when there are players coming in from all over the world.

‘Before we played Manchester United in the League Cup (in January 2023), we were showing them we had won that competition four times, and the European Cup twice.

‘It lets them know how big the club is and how long the fans have waited to see us in big games. We’re the first team in a while to do it and we let them know how exciting it is for everyone. It’s so important for Forest to be back.’

Cooper deserves huge credit for Johnson’s rise. He made a decision to back the forward when he took charge in September 2022, with the club bottom of the Championship.

Johnson developed an impressive understanding with Morgan Gibbs-White at the City Ground

Steve Cooper’s Forest had little choice but to sell Johnson in the summer due to FFP concerns

When Cooper knew he was a contender for the Forest job, he watched the team’s games that season and Johnson’s performances against Coventry and Derby caught his eye. It was Johnson’s ability to stay calm and make the right decisions at pace that convinced Cooper and his coaches they had something special.

During nearly two years together, Cooper also established a strong relationship with Johnson’s family as the 22-year-old’s career blossomed. Despite his polite, softly-spoken manner, Johnson is fiercely ambitious and has a steely streak. He knows where he wants to go and has no doubts about his ability to get there.

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Johnson repaid Cooper with the goals that helped Forest win promotion via the play-offs and a single season in the Premier League was enough to earn a move to a club with Champions League aspirations. He has also played in a World Cup and hopes to help Wales reach Euro 2024 via next year’s play-offs.

‘You look at any player who goes to a big football club, that’s where they want to be, they want the responsibility, they want the limelight, they want to be the person who makes that difference,’ said Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou. ‘That’s why Brennan came here. He could have very easily stayed at Nottingham Forest where he was making a great career for himself.

‘But he wanted to get out of his comfort zone. We’ve seen elements of his game which are very, very exciting and we’ve got to get him to do that more and believe in himself more.’

Johnson and Forest handled the transfer impressively, meaning Johnson will almost certainly receive a warm reception on Friday. It won’t stop Tottenham’s No22 from trying to put another dent in a tricky season for the club who will always have a special place in his heart.

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