Brennan Johnson Set for Medical at Everton in McNeil Swap

Brennan Johnson is set to undergo his 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.

It is a bold piece of business. No fee, no add-ons, just two wingers trading shirts and ambitions.

Palace have chased McNeil for the best part of a year, only to see a January move collapse on deadline day. They have finally got their man. Everton, in turn, are betting that Johnson’s ceiling is worth the gamble after a stuttering spell in south London.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that “everything is done” between the clubs, with both players scheduled for medicals today. Barring late drama, the paperwork will follow.

For Everton, Johnson would be the fifth arrival of a busy summer. He joins Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard, plus permanent deals for Merlin Röhl and Tyrique George, in a squad that is being reshaped with clear intent. This is not tinkering around the edges; it is a change of pace and profile.

Johnson, still only 25, arrives at a crossroads in his career. Palace paid around £35m to prise him away in January, but he never truly settled or reproduced the explosive form that lit up his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

That spell at Spurs during the 2024/25 season is what Everton are buying into. Eighteen goals in 51 appearances across all competitions. Eleven of those in the league from 33 games. Those are not the numbers of a bit-part winger; they are the output of a forward who lives close to goal and thrives on chaos.

The underlying data backs that up. Per 90 minutes in that campaign, the Wales international ranked second among Premier League wingers for expected goals, non-penalty expected goals, dribble success rate, and duels won percentage. He also sat fifth for goal conversion. Strip away the noise and you are left with a player who gets into the right positions, beats his man, and finishes at a high clip.

That version of Johnson is what Everton need. Direct, aggressive, relentless.

The risk is obvious. His half-season at Palace never caught fire. New club, new system, big fee, the weight of expectation – the mix never quite worked. Everton are wagering that the misfire was circumstantial, not structural.

McNeil’s departure, meanwhile, will sting some supporters. Reliable, hard-working, and capable of moments of quality, he has often been the steady hand out wide. Palace’s long-standing admiration for him underlines his value; this is not a makeweight being shuffled off to balance the books, but a player they have pursued before.

So this becomes a pure trade of profiles. Palace get a left-footed technician with delivery and work-rate. Everton get a vertical threat who runs behind, presses aggressively, and lives off high-value chances.

If Johnson passes his medical and the deal goes through as expected, the question shifts from “if” to “which version” of Brennan Johnson Goodison Park will see: the subdued figure from his Palace stint, or the ruthless, data-dominant winger who terrorised defences in a Tottenham shirt.

Everton are clearly betting on the latter.