Touted West Ham United target Brennan Johnson could arrive at the club next season to challenge winger Said Benrahma for a spot in the team.
While the summer transfer market remains a little while away just yet, certain rumours are already beginning to rear their heads. One such is the link that says Johnson of Nottingham Forest could end up with the Hammers next season.
Indeed, club insider ExWHUemployee has claimed on the most recent episode of his podcast that David Moyes and co are ‘keeping tabs’ on the talented 20-year-old, who has stood out in the Championship of late.
Where would he fit in?
Well, as evidenced this season, Johnson can play in a number of attacking roles. In his 31 league appearances to date, he has played centrally as an attacking midfielder or even a second-striker, while he has also operated on either flank as more of a winger (via Transfermarkt).
With that in mind, he shares a similarity with Benrahma, who has operated in similar positions under Moyes this term. But how do the players compare?
In simple statistics, the Forest man has scored nine league goals and registered five assists this term, while the West Ham winger has five league goals and four assists – though he has played eight fewer games.
Even so, when it comes to key passes, dribbles, and fouls drawn per game, Johnson has fared better this term. On top of that, he also earns an average match rating of 6.96, which is better than Benhrama’s 6.85.
Also, the Forest man has created 11 big chances so far this season compared to Benrahma’s three, as well as averaging 1.3 key passes per game which is a 0.3 advantage on Benrahma. He’s more lethal in front of goal too, having managed to convert 16% of his shots, with the Algerian only managing 10% (as per SofaScore).
Taking all that into account, it’s fair to say that Johnson is far superior in the attacking department this season, albeit at a lower level in the Championship.
But in the short term, Benhrama’s role would probably be safe. At 26 years of age, he is close to his prime and should be able to build upon a steady first couple of seasons in the Premier League after signing from Brentford for a fee that could rise to £30m.
However, with Johnson showing plenty of talent at such a young age, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to come in and immediately make an impact on the first team.
Would Brennan Johnson be a good signing for West Ham?
Yes
No
What’s more, with Andriy Yarmolenko out of contract in the summer, a path to first-team football at West Ham could open up for the Nottingham Forest man should he make the move to east London, regardless of Benrahma’s form.
In other news: Big surprise: West Ham star linked with exit is worth way less than Moyes claimed – opinion