Eight years after signing Michail Antonio from Nottingham Forest, might West Ham United be on the verge of repeating the feat?
With money to spend and European football to offer, West Ham United can recruit a higher calibre of player this summer, but they may choose for a Nottingham Forest player in terms of attacking alternatives.
The Athletic reports that West Ham are “monitoring” Brennan Johnson’s status at Forest, who are thought to be willing to sell one of their greatest assets if the right offer is made.
Johnson has acclimated well to the Premier League, has three years left on his contract, and is garnering interest from Everton, Aston Villa, and Brentford, implying that Forest would not trade cheaply.
According to the report, Brentford’s £30 million bid might fall up to £20 million shy of the Reds’ asking price for the Wales international.
That rumoured £50 million price will undoubtedly make West Ham reconsider, but Johnson’s experience at Forest suggests he is a potential superstar in the making, following in the footsteps of former international colleague Gareth Bale.
Johnson, once regarded as a “unbelievable asset” by Wales manager Rob Page, can be happy with his eight goals and three assists in his first season in the Premier League – only Morgan Gibbs-White (13) had more direct goal involvements among Forest players.
Johnson rated higher than West Ham players Jarrod Bowen (0.31), Lucas Paqueta (0.29), Gianluca Scamacca (0.29), and Pablo Fornals (0.24) in goal involvements per 90 last season, according to FBref.
That followed a season in which the 22-year-old scored 18 goals and assisted 10 more to help Forest gain promotion to the Premier League, earning him the Championship’s Young Player of the Season award.
Johnson distinguishes himself not only in terms of goals and assists.
Leave a Reply