Brennan Johnson Joins Everton in Swap Deal with Crystal Palace

Brennan Johnson is set for a new start on Merseyside, with the winger due to undergo a medical at Everton today after a swap deal was agreed with Crystal Palace that will send Dwight McNeil the other way.

The agreement between the clubs is understood to be a straight exchange: no fees, no add-ons, just two managers reshaping their forward lines with players they have long admired. Palace have tracked McNeil for some time and came close to landing him in January, only for that move to collapse on deadline day. They have finally got their man. So have Everton.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that “everything is done” between the clubs, with both Johnson and McNeil scheduled to complete medicals today. Barring late drama, the paperwork will follow.

For Everton, Johnson becomes the fifth arrival of an assertive summer. He joins Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard, along with permanent deals for Merlin Röhl and Tyrique George, as part of a broader rebuild aimed at adding legs, energy and end product to Sean Dyche’s squad.

Johnson, still only 25, needs this move. His half-season at Crystal Palace never truly caught fire after his £35m switch in January. The price tag weighed heavy, the rhythm never came, and a player who thrives on confidence found himself stuck between roles and systems.

Everton are betting that the Tottenham Hotspur version of Brennan Johnson walks through the door at Finch Farm.

During the 2024/25 campaign in north London, he delivered the kind of numbers that turn heads in recruitment meetings: 18 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions, 11 of those in 33 Premier League games. That output placed him among the league’s most dangerous wide forwards, but it was the underlying data that really told the story.

Per 90 minutes, the Wales international ranked second among Premier League wingers for expected goals and non-penalty expected goals, while also sitting second for dribble success and duels won. He was fifth for goal conversion. In other words, he wasn’t just busy. He was efficient, direct and consistently threatening.

That profile fits neatly with what Everton have tried to build this summer: a more vertical, aggressive side that can turn transitions into chances and finally ease the scoring burden that has hung over the club for too long. Johnson’s pace stretches defences, his movement drags markers into awkward areas, and his numbers suggest he gets into the right positions often enough for the goals to follow.

McNeil’s departure, though, is not a footnote. He has been one of Everton’s most reliable outlets in recent seasons, a tireless runner with a cultured left foot and a strong work ethic out of possession. Palace’s long-standing interest underlines his value; they see a wide player who can supply crosses, link play and press intelligently in a compact system.

For Everton, the trade is a statement of intent. They are swapping a known, steady performer for a winger with a higher ceiling and a proven record of elite attacking metrics when in form. It is a gamble, but a calculated one.

Johnson arrives at Goodison Park with something to prove: that his Tottenham season was not a one-off, that his Palace spell was a blip, and that he can be the kind of forward a club builds around rather than one it moves on from.

If he finds that level again in blue, this straight swap will look anything but simple.