Brennan Johnson Joins Everton in Shocking Swap Deal with Dwight McNeil

Brennan Johnson has completed a four-year move to Everton, just eight months after Crystal Palace broke their transfer record to sign him for a reported £35 million. In a rare straight swap between Premier League clubs, Dwight McNeil has headed the other way to Selhurst Park.

Two wingers. Two stalled seasons. One deal that has split opinion.

Johnson’s time in south London never caught fire. The Wales international arrived from Tottenham with pace, pedigree and expectation, but left without a single goal in 26 appearances in all competitions. Palace had gambled big; the return was brutal.

McNeil’s story at Everton was hardly brighter. Once tipped as a star in waiting at Burnley, the 26-year-old failed to score in 25 outings for the Toffees last season, his confidence seemingly draining with every quiet performance.

Reactions to the Swap

That statistical backdrop set the tone when former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara and ex-Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor reacted live on talkSPORT to the shock swap.

“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 drilled down into the numbers, pointing to the lack of goals and assists from both. “You look at their output last season,” he said, before summing up the trade with a shrug: “It’s a bit like ‘you give us him and we’ll give you him!’”

The tone turned even harsher as the pair laughed and O’Hara delivered the line that would go viral: “We’ll give you crap, we’ll give you crap back!”

The clip hit Instagram. Johnson saw it. And he hit straight back.

“Won more than both of these put together,” he wrote in the comments – eight words, sharp enough to slice through the criticism and ignite the debate.

With the reply bouncing around social media, O’Hara moved to clarify his stance on X the following morning. He argued that the short clip stripped out the nuance of their wider discussion.

“This [is] the [problem] when you only listen to a clip and not full story,” he posted. He stressed they had been talking about last season’s numbers, not writing off the players themselves. “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.”

Away from the noise, Johnson now has a different task: make Everton his stage. At 25, under David Moyes at the newly renamed Hill Dickinson Stadium, he needs end product, not just promise. Goals, assists, influence. The attributes O’Hara mentioned have to surface every week, not in flashes.

McNeil, meanwhile, gets a clean slate in south London. Selhurst Park has long thrived on wide players with swagger and work-rate. If Palace can tap into the talent that once made him Burnley’s standout creator, the narrative around him could flip quickly.

There is no long wait to see who settles faster. Everton and Crystal Palace meet on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, an immediate reunion and a very public first verdict on a swap both wingers can’t afford to lose.