Would Tottenham Hotspur have been better off not winning last season’s Europa League final?
The joy of ending the club’s long trophy drought cannot be ignored, but that night in Bilbao hasn’t exactly proven to be the springboard for the current campaign, and neither has the Lilywhites’ subsequent slump.
Despite overseeing European glory, Ange Postecoglou was sacked regardless, while Spurs have not necessarily made the most of their Champions League qualification and look set to fall at the first hurdle of the knockout stages unless something miraculous happens on Wednesday night.
In terms of the Premier League, last season’s 17th place finish may have been a little misleading amidst their rise on the continent, but the north London outfit are currently in danger of being relegated, even after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Anfield.
Even the man who scored the winning goal in May has gone on to pastures new, and the ENIC government had shown a willingness to act ruthlessly after shipping off Brennan Johnson in January.
How has Brennan Johnson fared since leaving the Spurs?
Johnson, despite looking ungainly, scored his much-anticipated final individual goal in a 1-0 win against Manchester United in Bilbao, cementing his name in Tottenham lore in the process.
It was a well-deserved highlight for a player who came under criticism from his own supporters earlier in the season and was at the point where his social media accounts were deleted following a series of abuses.
The Europa League final looked like the Wales international was enjoying the last laugh, scoring his 18th goal of the 2024-25 season to finish as the club’s top scorer in all competitions.
Spurs Europa League final eleven | |
|---|---|
position | player |
GK | pastor |
R.B. | further away |
C.B. | Romero |
C.B. | van de ven |
lb | Udogi |
CM | Bisouuma |
CM | Bentancourt |
R.M. | johnson |
morning | Searle |
LM | Richarlison |
ST | Solanke |
But just six months later, the 24-year-old was sent packing to Crystal Palace after a poor start to the 2025/26 campaign, with Spurs unable to refuse a tempting offer of £35m for his performance.
Perhaps, in their current woes, the Lilywhites could have been better off with Johnson still in the squad, but he hasn’t exactly been tearing up the trees at Selhurst Park and has failed to score from all fronts in his first 14 games for the Eagles.
Despite being converted to right wing-back for the last 10-a-side game against Leeds United, Palace’s club-record signing never materialized under manager Oliver Glasner, with last season’s impressive goalscoring now looking an anomaly.
After two disastrous domestic campaigns, Spurs have shown that no member of the squad, even last season’s top scorer, can be considered unsellable, and ENIC will need to wield the ax again this summer.
Why the Spurs need to sell Brennan Johnson this season
It is still remarkable to think that Tottenham did not actually embark on signing a direct successor after releasing club record goalscorer Harry Kane in August 2023, with Johnson ultimately arriving from Nottingham Forest on deadline day.
He just joined: the next Kane could end Richarlison’s Spurs career
Tottenham need to rebuild their front line even if they avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Dominic Solanke arrived a year later, with Daniel Levy and others leaving Postecoglou and turning to £60m man Richarlison as their main centre-forward that season.
Perhaps the sale of Kane and wayward succession planning is where Tottenham’s woes really began, and even Richarlison’s recent stellar form is not enough to suggest he is the long-term solution to the club’s notable woes.
Signed from Everton in 2022, the enigmatic Brazilian remains considered, in the words of pundit Gaby Agbonlahor, “one of the worst signings in Premier League history”, having scored just 30 goals in 126 games since then.
He has scored 52 goals in 153 games for the Toffees, but his record appears to have deteriorated further, especially last season when injury meant he only scored five goals across all fronts.
When it comes to the current season, the former Watford man has indeed shown flashes of brilliance despite the club’s overall woes, with his recent spell on Merseyside scoring 10 goals for the season, nine of which came in league play.
Like Johnson last season, Richarlison is currently the top scorer, but the Brazilian international hasn’t exactly been prolific, which is perhaps a more damning indictment of his team-mate. Well, except for Anfield.
According to Transfermarkt, the in-form striker cannot be trusted for the long term, having suffered regular injuries during his time in the N17s and missing 40 games for club and country last season.
Of course, his previous work at Everton would suggest he is the perfect person to lead Spurs’ fight against their downturn in the short term. He previously helped lead the Toffees to safety with six goals in the final nine games of the 2021/22 campaign.
In that case, he could very well become Tottenham’s in-house firefighter, but in the long term they need to upgrade their centre-forward slot and with just over a year left on his contract, this summer could be the perfect break.
Academy star, who has played just 15 minutes for Spurs, could replace Gallagher.
Tottenham need to think outside the box in their fight to remain in the Premier League next season.
