Brennan Johnson Medical at Everton as Dwight McNeil Joins Palace

Everton are closing in on their most intriguing move of the summer, with Brennan Johnson due to undergo a medical today ahead of a straight swap deal that will send Dwight McNeil to Crystal Palace.

No fees. No add-ons reported. Just a clean exchange of wingers between two Premier League clubs who have been circling each other’s assets for months.

Palace have tracked McNeil for a long time and came close to landing him in January, only for that move to collapse on deadline day. They have now finally got their man, but only by giving up one of their own major investments. Johnson arrived at Selhurst Park for around £35m in January and lasted just half a season.

For Everton, that price tag is someone else’s concern. What matters at Finch Farm today is whether Johnson passes his medical and becomes the fifth new face of a busy window.

He would follow Hayden Hackney, Christian Nørgaard, and the permanent arrivals of Merlin Röhl and Tyrique George through the door, underlining a clear attempt to reshape the spine and the attacking edge of the squad.

Johnson brings something Everton have lacked in recent seasons: direct, data-backed end product from wide areas.

At Tottenham Hotspur in the 2024/25 campaign, he produced the kind of numbers that turn heads in recruitment departments. Eighteen goals in 51 appearances across all competitions. Eleven of those in the league, from 33 games, in a side that demanded relentless running and sharp decision-making in the final third.

Strip away the highlight reels and the story looks even stronger. Per 90 minutes, the Wales international ranked second among Premier League wingers for expected goals, non-penalty expected goals, dribble success percentage, and duels won percentage. He also sat fifth for goal conversion.

Those are not the figures of a luxury player who drifts in and out of contests. They are the profile of a winger who gets into dangerous areas repeatedly, beats his man, and finishes moves.

That is the version of Brennan Johnson Everton are betting on.

Because the Palace chapter has been far less kind. A difficult half-season, a team still working out how to use him, and the shadow of that £35m fee never far away. The move never quite clicked, and by the end of the campaign his future looked far less secure than it had in North London.

Everton are offering a reset.

For Sean Dyche and his staff, Johnson’s pace, willingness to run in behind, and ability to carry the ball at speed could change the dynamic of their attack. For Johnson, Goodison Park offers the chance to reattach himself to the level he reached at Spurs and to prove that his Palace spell was a detour, not a trend.

McNeil’s departure, though, is not a footnote. Palace have pushed for him across two windows, and their persistence says plenty about how they see his value. A left-footed winger with work rate, delivery and tactical discipline, he fits the profile of a player who can give Roy Hodgson’s side control on one flank while others rotate around him.

The straight nature of the swap underlines the mutual conviction. Palace believe McNeil can anchor their wide play. Everton believe Johnson can lift their attack.

By the time the medicals are done and the paperwork is signed, two clubs will have redrawn their forward lines in one move. The real judgement will come later, when Johnson is sprinting into space in front of the Gwladys Street and McNeil is shaping crosses at Selhurst Park.

One question will hang over the deal all season: who got the better winger?