Brennan Johnson Undergoes Medical at Everton for McNeil Swap

Brennan Johnson is set to undergo a medical at Everton today as the club closes in on a straight swap deal with Crystal Palace that will send Dwight McNeil to Selhurst Park.

No fee, no add-ons, no complicated clauses. Just a clean exchange between two Premier League clubs who have been circling each other’s players for months. Palace have tracked McNeil for some time and came close to landing him in January, only for that move to collapse on deadline day. They have gone back in hard this summer – and this time, Everton are ready to deal.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that “everything is done” between the clubs, with both Johnson and McNeil scheduled for medicals today. If there are no late hitches, Johnson will become Everton’s fifth signing of a busy window.

He joins Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard, along with permanent deals for Merlin Röhl and Tyrique George, as Everton reshape their squad with a clear emphasis on energy, legs, and versatility. Johnson fits that profile perfectly.

For the 25-year-old Wales international, this move offers a reset. His stint at Crystal Palace never truly ignited after a high-profile January switch worth around £35m. A difficult half-season at Selhurst Park leaves him needing a stage where he can be trusted, used centrally to his strengths, and given the freedom to attack defenders again. Goodison Park, with its demand for direct, front-foot football, might suit him better than most.

Everton are banking on the version of Brennan Johnson that lit up Tottenham Hotspur during the 2024/25 campaign. In that season he delivered 18 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions, including 11 goals in 33 league games. Those numbers did not flatter him; they reflected a winger operating at the sharp end of the Premier League.

The underlying metrics told the same story. Per 90 minutes, Johnson ranked second among Premier League wingers for expected goals and non-penalty expected goals. He also sat second for dribble success percentage and duels won percentage, and fifth for goal conversion. He was not just busy. He was efficient, dangerous, and relentless.

That is the player Everton believe they are getting: a wide forward who drives at full-backs, attacks space, and carries a constant goal threat. In a side that has often lacked cutting edge from wide areas, those traits are not a luxury – they are a necessity.

McNeil’s departure, of course, is not a footnote. He has been a steady, reliable outlet for Everton, offering work rate, deliveries from the left, and tactical discipline. Palace, who have admired him for some time, gain a left-sided midfielder in his prime, comfortable in and out of possession and proven in the division. From their perspective, the long chase finally reaches its conclusion.

For Everton, the gamble is clear. They are trading a known quantity for a higher ceiling. If Johnson finds his Tottenham level again, they gain a winger capable of double figures in the league and among the most impactful wide players in the country by the numbers. If his Palace struggles persist, they will have lost a dependable performer in McNeil without a transfer fee to soften the blow.

Everton’s hierarchy, though, appear convinced that the Tottenham version is the true one. Surrounded by a more defined attacking structure and given a central role in the game plan, they expect his pace, movement, and finishing to re-emerge as decisive weapons.

Today’s medical is the final formality. The real test comes when Johnson pulls on the shirt, hears the Goodison roar, and is asked to turn promise and data into goals and points for a club that cannot afford another season on the edge.