Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil: A Premier League Swap
Brennan Johnson has barely had time to unpack in south London and he’s gone again. Eight months after Crystal Palace paid a reported club‑record £35 million to prise him from Tottenham, the Wales international has signed a four-year deal with Everton in a rare Premier League swap.
Heading the other way is Dwight McNeil, the winger trading Goodison Park for Selhurst Park as part of a deal that underlines just how badly both players needed a reset.
Two wingers, two stalled seasons
Johnson’s brief spell at Palace never caught fire. Across 26 appearances in all competitions, he didn’t score once. For a forward signed at such a premium, the numbers were brutal, and the pressure grew with every goalless outing.
McNeil’s campaign at Everton offered no real counter-argument. Once tipped as a future star during his Burnley days, the 26-year-old also finished last season without a goal, failing to score in 25 games for the Toffees. Two reputations, both stuck in neutral.
So when Everton and Palace agreed a straight swap, it felt less like a masterstroke from either side and more like a mutual gamble: two clubs betting that a change of scenery can jolt dormant talent back to life.
TalkSPORT takedown – and a sharp reply
The move sparked an immediate reaction on air. Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara and ex-Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor dissected the deal live on talkSPORT – and they did not go gentle.
"I like Dwight McNeil," O'Hara said. "Brennan Johnson has been a myth for a few seasons. He didn’t do it at Spurs. He hides in games."
Agbonlahor went straight to the numbers, pointing to the lack of goals and assists from both players last term. "You look at their output last season," he said, summing it up as a trade of underperformers: "It’s a bit like ‘you give us him and we’ll give you him!'"
The segment turned even more cutting as O’Hara delivered the line that lit up social media: "'We’ll give you crap, we’ll give you crap back!'"
That clip, once posted on Instagram, did the rounds fast. Johnson saw it – and fired back even faster. His eight-word response in the comments cut through the noise: "Won more than both of these put together."
No emoji. No softening. Just a pointed reminder of his honours column.
O’Hara defends his stance
With Johnson’s reply going viral, O’Hara moved to clarify his position on X the following morning. He argued that the short clip stripped away the context of a longer discussion.
"This [is] the [problem] when you only listen to a clip and not full story," he wrote. He stressed that the criticism was aimed squarely at last season’s output, not at the players’ overall ability.
"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: harsh on the numbers, not on the ceiling.
Fresh starts, immediate test
Johnson now walks into a new chapter at Everton, carrying a sizeable fee, a sharp tongue, and a point to prove. Under David Moyes at the newly renamed Hill Dickinson Stadium, he will be judged on what comes next, not on what went wrong at Palace.
At 25, he has time, pace, and a platform. What he doesn’t have is much patience left from doubters.
McNeil, meanwhile, gets his own reboot in south London. Selhurst Park has seen wide players thrive before, and Palace will hope a fresh environment can unlock the left-footer who once looked destined for the top.
There will be no gentle bedding-in period. Everton and Crystal Palace meet on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. Two wingers, two fresh shirts, and an instant reunion with the clubs they’ve just left.
For Johnson and McNeil, the debate won’t be settled on talkSPORT or Instagram. It will be settled when the whistle blows and the numbers start to change.
