As Tottenham Hotspur secured the latest in a series of hard-fought home wins, once again striking in the second half, Ange Postecoglou’s side were – and not for the first time – inspired by the performances of two players who continue to leave their critics red-faced and with a mouth full of humble pie.
There was to be no goal and no assist this time around for Brennan Johnson. But the £47 million signing, against his former club, continues to show just how far he has come under Postecoglou, displaying the kind of maturity and poise that was so clearly lacking only a few months ago.
Johnson’s Tottenham team-mate, meanwhile, probably should have an assist to his name. In a rather harsh quirk of those Premier League statistics, however, Timo Werner will not be credited with a ‘goal involvement’, despite the fact it was his cross which forced Forest defender Murillo to turn the ball into his own net.
Tottenham knew what they were getting when they signed Werner on loan from RB Leipzig in January, during Heung-Min Son’s Asian Cup absence and Manor Solomon’s injury issues. Plenty of pace, plenty of endeavour, but a wasteful streak too. A tendency to have fans ducking for cover when he takes aim.
And while the former Chelsea speedster did overhit a few crosses on Sunday afternoon, he was also a constant thorn in Forest’s side, just like his similarly rocket-fuelled team-mate on the opposite flank.
Tottenham beat Nottingham Forest as Timo Werner shines
“In the end, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner were the difference,” former Spurs midfielder Danny Murphy tells BBC’s Match of the Day after a game in which Heung-Min Son and James Maddison struggled to escape the periphery.
“He’s been clever signing! A cute signing,”
A ‘clever’ addition, yes, but a permanent one? Tottenham have the option to turn Werner’s loan into a full-time deal to the tune of £15 million. Murphy, however, is still not convinced that the Germany international should be anything more than a short-term quick-fix, despite a tally of five goal contributions in eight Premier League starts since his return to London.
Will Spurs strike £15 million deal?
“It depends on the budget and what you’ve got moving forward,” Murphy adds. “I think there is better out there depending on what you’ve got to spend and what you want to prioritise. I think it was a great gap filler and he’s done OK. But you want more goals from your widemen.
“He doesn’t score enough for me.”
HITC understands that, right now, Tottenham are prioritising midfield additions. Joao Gomes of Wolves, Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City and Turkey international Ismail Yuksek are all under consideration.
Spurs also like Yuksek’s Fenerbahce team-mate Ferdi Kadioglu.
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