SELHURST PARK — The wait for Brennan Johnson to fulfil the expectations of his £35m move to Crystal Palace continues.
Since arriving as Palace’s club-record signing in January, before being trumped in the same window by Jorgen Strand Larsen, Johnson’s attacking account has been flimsy.
There has been a consistent absence of end product from the Welshman, who ventures into promising positions but stops short of delivering the final ball or applying the finishing touch. That lack of quality has been a thread running through his nearly four-month stay at Palace, with the forward failing to score in 19 appearances and registering just two assists.
Against West Ham on Monday night, he should have netted his first Palace goal. An exquisite cross from Jefferson Lerma offered Johnson a free header less than 10 yards from goal, but the 24-year-old got his angles carelessly wrong and guided extremely wide of the target. It was the best chance of a relatively drab affair, as Johnson’s panicked header epitomised the disappointment of his early career in red and blue.
A foolish yellow card on El Hadji Malick Diouf followed. Although there was a hint of his quality, receiving the ball from Yeremy Pino before taking a touch and releasing a prompt effort narrowly wide of the post. On the whole, however, he struggled to have the desired impact.
His manager, Oliver Glasner, papered over the cracks in his post-match press conference — insisting Johnson’s performance marked progress as he attacked areas and occupied spaces he had previously struggled to, while demonstrating a better grasp of Palace’s defensive habits.
“He was a constant threat,” Glasner said. “It was his best performance out of possession; the job he did was amazing. In the last games, he didn’t come into great situations, so it was a great step in the right direction. The first step is getting into good areas and getting chances, then the next is to convert. When I see how he finishes in training, I am pretty sure he will score a few goals before the end of the season.”
In some ways, Glasner was right. This was an improvement, although it is more of an indictment of Johnson’s sluggish start than a glowing endorsement of his display against West Ham. Notwithstanding that Palace paid a hefty sum for attacking results, not defensive traits.
There is little invention, he is not overly progressive, has little flair to beat a man and does not carry the ball — making him appear like a passenger. He has crossing ability, which he demonstrated at times against West Ham, but there must be a more concerted effort to find him in those wide areas to get the best out of him.
There is merit in the argument that Johnson requires time to adjust to Glasner’s system, which utilises narrower attackers rather than wingers, with his experience coming out wide. But that is why it beggars belief that Palace spent £35m on him midway through the season when there is little time to bed in a new signing who is essentially learning on the job. The time to adjust – especially within a hectic European schedule – is non-existent.
A mid-season fix, especially when making a club-record outlay, should be compatible with the style of play to improve the chances of an expeditious impact. After all, Johnson was signed as Palace had a shortfall in attack from the start of the campaign. Midway through the season, the recruitment should have been much more considered, with a quick result in mind. Instead, the discourse is whether Palace have wasted £35m.
Johnson may benefit from Glasner’s departure in the summer, should Palace opt for a manager who prefers wingers to inside attackers. He is more accustomed to playing out wide and timing his blistering runs to the back post, losing his man to finish clinically. There have been very few opportunities to demonstrate that efficient part of his game, which enabled him to score 18 goals in 51 appearances under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur last season.
That may still come in a Palace shirt, and a reset in the summer, accompanied by a full pre-season, could serve him well. But the signs have been uninspiring.
As Palace continue to contend in Europe, Glasner is intent on using his attacking options in the squad to keep it fresh: starting Johnson in the last two Premier League games, with Ismaila Sarr having played in Europe. With Shakhtar Donetsk on the horizon, opportunities are likely to continue as Palace seek Conference League glory – the onus is on Johnson to start taking his chances.
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