Everton will be counting their lucky stars this summer after the iconic English club escaped the prospect of relegation down to the Championship after finishing four points above the bottom three, and now Frank Lampard’s Toffees will be looking to make strides in 2022-23 commensurate with the vision of club ownership.
One key piece of the long-term project at Everton now appears to be Nottingham Forest starlet Brennan Johnson, as the Blues are hopeful of securing a deal for the 21-year-old Forest academy product, with the Nottingham-native and Wales international the subject of a potential £20 million move to Goodison Park.
Johnson had a stellar season in the Championship this term at the City Ground, helping the club into the playoff final this weekend against Huddersfield while also recently being named Championship Player of the Year after bagging 18-goals and adding 10-assists.
Everton eye move for Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson, but a lot hinges on Forest fate in play-off final. Newcastle, Leicester, Brentford have also watched 21-yr-old. James Tarkowski also near top of Everton list this summer #efc #nffc https://t.co/BanN6mxImY
— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) May 27, 2022
But a deal is hardly a guarantee for Everton, unfortunately, as reports in the Mirror detail that the Toffees will only be able to make a move for the young attacker should Forest fail to secure promotion to the Premier League for the 2022-23 campaign.
Johnson has just 12-months left on his current deal with Forest, and his future will be directly affected by matters on Sunday. Should he help his boyhood club to achieve a return to the Premier League, he is expected to sign a contract extension with the club in the immediate future, scuppering any plans that Everton had to move forward within the summer market as the Merseyside outfit look to strengthen in key areas of the pitch.
The club are also heavily interested in Burnley’s James Tarkowski, which could see Michael Keane depart with West Ham said to be monitoring matters on that front. But as for Johnson, should Everton miss out on a key transfer target, Lampard and company may be left in a bit of a scramble as they look to nail down a long-term pathway to progress in the Premier League.
This article was edited by
Conor Laird.
