Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil Swap: A Fresh Start for Struggling Wingers

Brennan Johnson has barely had time to unpack in south London. Now he’s on the move 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 straight swap at Premier League level, Dwight McNeil has headed the other way to Selhurst Park.

Two wingers. Two stalled seasons. Two careers in need of a jolt.

A swap of strugglers

Johnson’s time at Palace never caught fire. Across 26 appearances in all competitions, he failed to score once. For a player brought in at that price, and with his reputation, the return was brutal.

McNeil’s year at Everton told a similar story. Once tipped as a future star during his Burnley days, the 26-year-old also went the entire season without a goal, drawing a blank in 25 outings for the Toffees.

Those numbers set the tone for a ruthless live debate.

O’Hara and Agbonlahor let rip

On talkSPORT, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara and ex-Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor were asked for their verdict on the swap. They didn’t sugar-coat it.

"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 then turned straight to the stats, pointing out the lack of goals and assists from both players last season. "You look at their output last season," he said, describing the deal as feeling like, "you give us him and we’ll give you him!"

The pair broke into laughter before O’Hara drove the point home with a line that quickly did the rounds online: "We’ll give you crap, we’ll give you crap back!"

Johnson bites back

The clip landed on Instagram. The reaction from Johnson was swift, sharp and very public.

Underneath the video, the forward fired back with just eight words: "Won more than both of these put together."

No emojis. No explanation. Just a reminder of his medal count, and a clear sign he’d heard every word.

As the reply went viral, O’Hara moved to clarify his stance on X the following morning. He argued the short clip had stripped away the wider context of the conversation.

"This [is] the [problem] when you only listen to a clip and not full story," he wrote. He stressed the criticism was aimed at last season’s output, not 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."

Fresh starts, immediate test

Now the noise fades and the reality begins. Johnson heads to the Hill Dickinson Stadium with a point to prove and a manager in David Moyes who demands work, end product and resilience. At 25, he still has time to turn promise into something more concrete. He will know he has to start doing it quickly.

McNeil, meanwhile, gets his own reset in south London. Selhurst Park has long thrived on wide players who commit defenders and take risks. If the move unlocks the talent that first caught the eye at Burnley, Palace may feel they’ve stolen a march.

They won’t have to wait long to discover who has got the better end of this uneasy trade. Everton and Crystal Palace meet on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, an instant reunion and a brutal early verdict on two wingers trying to rewrite the story of their careers.