This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Everton have provided West Ham and Brentford with even more competition for Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson, as per a report from the Daily Mail.
The report states that Newcastle United are also in pursuit of the highly talented wide man, whilst Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring the situation too.
Johnson has chipped in with five goals and four assists so far this season, proving to be a constant source of excitement and creativity in the final third.
The 20-year-old spent last season on loan with Lincoln City, helping the Imps reach the play-off final with his consistent and starring performances.
Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts on this potential deal...
Adam Jones
Johnson would be an exciting addition for the Toffees as someone who will clearly play in the top flight one day.
However, it's also one that could probably be left until the summer with other priorities that need to be addressed with the Merseyside outfit currently sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League.
At this point, they need additions that will hit the ground running in a bid to improve their fortunes and after only making the step up from League One in the summer, it would be a risk to recruit him now.
In the summer, when they have the opportunity to provide the Welshman with the time to adapt to top-flight levels during pre-season, that could be the time to move for him.
But for now, an expensive move could scupper Everton's plans to sign other players and may prove to be detrimental for Johnson who would need time to adjust.
Marcus Ally
Brennan Johnson would be a very exciting signing for Everton if his performances this season are anything to go by. The Welshman has come on leaps and bounds under Steve Cooper and looks to be even more dangerous than he was at Lincoln City last season.
Everton are a bit strapped for cash in the transfer market at the moment and therefore Forest would probably be able to price the Toffees out of a deal if they wanted. Everton have four wingers who are of Premier League standard but a couple of them seem to be on the way down in their careers.
Johnson would provide an exciting addition to Rafael Benitez’s options of Alex Iwobi, Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon. Certainly a good signing, but maybe not needed and probably will not happen for me.
Charlie Gregory
Everton are a side that could certainly tempt Brennan Johnson into a move and he is enough of a talent to warrant a move to the Premier League now to boot.
The young winger has been in scintillating form this season and has already looked like he could be a key player for Nottingham Forest - and they will definitely not want to let him leave in the winter window. With Steve Cooper eager to challenge for the play-off places, they certainly won’t want to sell one of their best players midway through the season.
From an Everton viewpoint though, a deal would be a great bit of business. It might cost them a pretty penny to secure his signature but the Toffees could afford it and it would no doubt be worth every bit of cash they pay out, as he has the potential to be a top-level player.
Right now, the player could certainly do a job in the Premier League if they wanted to throw him straight into the squad. He’d likely fetch a fairly big fee too - although Forest would no doubt rather keep Johnson instead.