Brennan Johnson Set for Everton Medical in McNeil Swap Deal

Brennan Johnson is set for an Everton medical today as part of a straight swap deal that will send Dwight McNeil to Crystal Palace, in one of the more intriguing moves of the summer window.

The two clubs have reached full agreement on the winger-for-winger exchange, with no fee involved, after Palace revived their long-standing pursuit of McNeil. A January switch to Selhurst Park for the 24-year-old collapsed on deadline day, but the Eagles have finally got their man — at the cost of losing Johnson after just half a season.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that “everything is done” between Everton and Palace, with both players scheduled for medicals today to complete the paperwork.

For Everton, Johnson becomes signing number five in a busy summer. He follows Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard and the permanent arrivals of Merlin Röhl and Tyrique George, as the club reshapes its attacking core.

This is a calculated gamble with a clear upside.

Johnson arrived at Crystal Palace in January for around £35m, but never truly settled in South London. His half-season at Selhurst Park fell well short of expectations, a stark contrast to the explosive form he produced at Tottenham Hotspur in 2024/25.

That Spurs campaign is the reason Everton are pushing this through.

Across all competitions that season, the Wales international hit 18 goals in 51 appearances, including 11 in 33 Premier League games. Those numbers didn’t flatter him. They underlined a winger operating at the sharp end of the division.

On a per-90 basis, Johnson ranked second among Premier League wingers for expected goals, non-penalty expected goals, dribble success percentage and duels won percentage. He also sat fifth for goal conversion. In simple terms: he got into dangerous positions, beat his man, won his battles and finished his chances at an elite rate.

Everton are betting that this version of Brennan Johnson is still there, waiting to be unlocked.

At 25, he arrives at what should be his peak years, with the scars of a difficult spell at Palace and the memory of a breakout season at Spurs still fresh. For a club that has often lacked pace, direct running and end product from wide areas, his profile fits a glaring need.

The cost is McNeil, a player Palace have tracked for months and who now gets the move that slipped away in January. For Everton, it is a bold piece of business: trading a reliable, hard-working wide man for a more explosive, data-backed attacker whose ceiling looks higher, but whose recent form raises questions.

If Johnson can rediscover the Tottenham version of himself, Goodison Park will feel it quickly. If he cannot, this swap will be scrutinised for a long time.

Everton have made their choice. Now it is over to Brennan Johnson to prove they were right.