Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil Swap: A Bold Move
Brennan Johnson has barely had time to unpack in south London. Eight months after Crystal Palace paid a reported club-record £35 million to prise him from Tottenham, the Wales international is on the move again – this time to Everton on a four-year deal.
And it’s not a straightforward exit. In a rare Premier League swap, Dwight McNeil has gone the other way to Selhurst Park, two wingers trading places after equally frustrating seasons.
Two stalled careers, one bold swap
Johnson’s Palace spell never caught fire. Twenty-six appearances in all competitions, not a single goal. For a player signed to be a cutting edge in attack, it quickly became a running sore rather than a statement signing.
McNeil’s year at Everton told a similar story. Once tipped as a future star during his Burnley days, the 26-year-old also finished the campaign without a goal in 25 outings. The numbers were brutal, and pundits did not spare them.
Live on air, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara and ex-Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor tore into the pair’s output while reacting to the swap.
“I like Dwight McNeil,” O’Hara said on talkSPORT. “Brennan Johnson has been a myth for a few seasons. He didn’t do it at Spurs. He hides in games.”
Agbonlahor then drilled into the stats, pointing at the barren returns from both wingers last season. “You look at their output last season,” he said, stressing the lack of goals and assists. “It’s a bit like ‘you give us him and we’ll give you him!’”
The tone only got harsher. As the pair laughed, O’Hara delivered the line that lit up social media: “We’ll give you crap, we’ll give you crap back!”
Johnson hits back
That clip, once posted on Instagram, didn’t just drift down the timeline. It detonated.
Johnson stepped straight into the comments with a sharp, eight-word response: “Won more than both of these put together.”
No emojis. No softening. Just a reminder of his medal count.
The backlash to the backlash came quickly. On Wednesday morning, O’Hara moved to clarify his stance on X, insisting the viral snippet stripped out the nuance of the wider discussion.
“This [is] the [problem] when you only listen to a clip and not full story,” he wrote. “We were talking about Brennan and McNeil’s stats from last season which were CRAP not that they were bad players. I’m a fan of McNeill and also said Brennan has all the attributes but he would admit his season was crap.”
The message was clear: criticism of the numbers, not a condemnation of the players’ talent.
Fresh starts, instant reunion
Now the noise fades and the hard work starts. Johnson arrives at the Hill Dickinson Stadium with something to prove and a point already made online. At 25, he still carries the pace, movement and upside that persuaded Palace and Tottenham to invest heavily. Under David Moyes, he will be judged on end product, not potential.
McNeil, meanwhile, heads to Selhurst Park chasing the version of himself that once lit up Burnley. A new city, a new system, and the chance to reset a career that has drifted in recent seasons.
There will be no gentle bedding-in period. Everton and Crystal Palace are scheduled to meet on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, setting up an immediate and compelling subplot.
Johnson against Palace. McNeil against Everton. Two wingers, two fresh starts, and a reunion that will say plenty about who really needed this swap more.
