01 September 2023 , 16:35
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Nottingham Forest were left surprised earlier this summer when Brentford lodged a £40m bid for Brennan Johnson via a WhatsApp message.
The forward has been the subject of huge interest in recent months and is set to join Tottenham in a deal worth £47.5m as Ange Postecoglou looks to plug the gap left by Harry Kane. The north Londoners have fought off plenty of competition to land the Welsh international.
Rivals Chelsea and Brentford were among those keen with the Bees' interest dating back to when Nottingham Forest were in the Championship. Back then they had an £18m bid turned down in January 2022 and returned with a notable offer recently, albeit communicated in a unique way, as they offered £35m up front with a further £5m in add-ons.
Those at the City Ground began to accept that Johnson's future would lie away from Nottingham with Chelsea and Tottenham pushing for the deal. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis took control of negotiations and spoke with both Chelsea’s co-owner Todd Boehly and Tottenham chief Daniel Levy, reports the Telegraph.
Originally they were adamant that Johnson would not be leaving for less than £50m and he featured in all three of their opening Premier League games. They have since changed that stance with the player poised to leave for slightly less than their original asking price.
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Johnson's versatility has been a key aspect of Tottenham's interest with the player capable of filling in across the front three. His speed is also seen as crucial to Postecoglou, who has begun life impressively since taking charge in the summer.
Brennan Johnson is poised to leave Nottingham for Tottenham (MI News/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)The Australian coach has made it clear that he wants to bring in players that will compliment his philosophy as the club adapt to life post-Kane. He said: "I don't know, I don't know sort of what club signings means. I would never approve a signing that I didn't think was going to fit into way we want to play.
"If it is younger level, an academy level, of course it is, but when the club appoint a senior manager and you give him the responsibility of charting a course then you need to give him players that will suit the way he wants to play.
"I think the evidence so far with the players we've brought in is that they've all made an impact which shows that the brief is there that we're looking for players who will play the football and will fit into the system that I want to play.