West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Brennan Johnson to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider recently revealing on The West Ham Way podcast that David Moyes has instructed his scouts to watch the Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder this season, ahead of a potential move for the 20-year-old at the end of the current campaign.
Speaking about the Hammers’ interest in the Wales international, Ex said: “Two Nottingham Forest players are still on the radar and have been scouted. One of them is Brennan Johnson. He’s a Welsh international. Very dangerous. He’s been leading the line for Forest this season.”
The next Bowen
With Johnson having been in breathtaking form for Nottingham Forest so far this season, there are very clear comparisons that can be drawn between the 20-year-old and one of West Ham’s former recruits from the Championship – Jarrod Bowen.
Indeed, over his 36 league outings for Steve Cooper’s side in the current campaign, the £900k-rated dynamo has been a livewire in the Forest frontline, scoring 11 goals, registering six assists and creating 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.
These returns have seen the player who Glenn Murray dubbed a “special” talent who is “destined for the top” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as the Reds’ joint seventh-best performer in the second tier of English football.
And, when comparing Johnson’s metrics to those of Bowen’s final Championship campaign with Hull City, it is clear the two players contribute a similar level of attacking output.
Indeed, over his 29 league fixtures for the Tigers back in 2019/20, the £58.5m-rated forward bagged 16 goals, provided seven assists and created ten big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 3.6 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.
These returns saw the player who Grant McCann labelled “unplayable” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him by far and away as Hull’s best player in the Championship that season.
Furthermore, aside from their on the pitch similarities, with Johnson reported to be available for a figure of around £20m this summer – the same amount West Ham parted with in order to prise Bowen away from the MKM Stadium in January of 2020 – the Welshman could end up costing the east London outfit a similar fee to the 25-year-old.
As such, with the 20-year-old very much looking as if he is on a similar path to the Hammers’ current attacking sensation, it would appear highly advisable for Moyes to do all he can to land the Forest starlet this summer – as he too could turn into something of a world-beater at the London Stadium.
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