Dwight McNeil and Brennan Johnson Swap Deal: An Intriguing Transfer

Everton and Crystal Palace have shaken hands on one of the more intriguing deals of the window: a straight swap of Dwight McNeil for Brennan Johnson, with both players set to head in opposite directions after agreements were finally thrashed out between the clubs.

Medical checks are scheduled to begin today, and once those are completed, both players are expected to sign four-year contracts, each containing a club option for an extra 12 months. No fees, no add-ons headlining the move – just two careers being rerouted at a pivotal moment.

McNeil finally gets his Palace move

For McNeil, this has been coming. Palace tried to prise him away in January, only for the move to collapse at the last moment when paperwork failed to beat the deadline. It was a near miss that clearly never left the conversation.

Since then, his standing at Everton has shifted. The 26-year-old has had spells as a key figure on Merseyside, but under David Moyes his influence has waned. With just a year left on his contract, Everton were staring at a familiar modern dilemma: cash in now or risk losing him for nothing next summer.

They chose the former, and did so in a way that plugs a gap of their own.

Palace, meanwhile, finally land the wide player they identified months ago, this time without the chaos of deadline day. McNeil arrives as a ready-made option on the flank, a player they know well and have clearly rated for some time.

Johnson’s Palace struggle prompts reset

On the other side of the deal stands Johnson, whose time at Selhurst Park has simply never caught fire.

The Wales international only joined Palace in January in a £35 million move from Tottenham, a price tag that brought expectation he never truly met. Last season he went 26 games in all competitions without a single goal for the Eagles, a brutal statistic for an attacking player trying to justify both his fee and his wages.

Yet his record elsewhere tells a different story. Johnson scored 27 times in 107 games for Tottenham and previously showed his edge in front of goal at Nottingham Forest. Spurs saw enough to keep faith long enough for him to deliver 18 goals in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign before his permanent switch to Palace.

That pedigree is what Everton are gambling on.

Why the swap works for Everton

From Everton’s side, the logic is clear.

They avoid losing McNeil for free next year and bring in a forward they have monitored for years, regardless of changes in their recruitment structure. Johnson has been on their radar long enough to survive different ideas, different decision-makers and different managers.

If Moyes can tap into the version of Johnson that thrived at Tottenham and Forest, Everton get a versatile attacker entering his prime, with a track record of double-figure seasons. That sort of output would transform their attacking options.

The financial side carries edge. Johnson currently earns around £130,000 per week at Palace. Should Everton match those wages – a detail not yet confirmed – he would instantly become one of the club’s top earners at Hill Dickinson Stadium. It’s a big salary, but also a clear signal: they are backing him to be a difference-maker, not a squad filler.

Why Palace are ready to cut loose

For Palace, the move is as much about subtraction as addition.

Johnson’s struggles for form, combined with his sizeable wage packet, made him a heavy presence on the books. Offloading a £130,000-per-week player who has not delivered goals offers immediate breathing space on the wage bill and removes a situation that risked lingering over the dressing room.

Instead of entering a drawn-out process to sell Johnson in a traditional deal, Palace have opted for a cleaner solution. They move on a player eager for a new challenge and bring in McNeil, the winger they almost signed in January, without waiting for a bidding war or haggling over structure.

It is a reset for both parties.

McNeil gets the platform of a fresh club that has wanted him twice. Palace get a left-sided player with Premier League know-how and the financial flexibility that comes from shifting a high earner.

A gamble with upside on both sides

This is not a blockbuster transfer, but it carries weight.

Everton are betting that Johnson’s Palace spell was an anomaly, not a trend. If he can reproduce anything like his 18-goal 2024/25 season for Spurs in blue this term, the risk on his wages will look shrewd rather than reckless.

Palace are betting that McNeil, with regular minutes and a clear role, can give them the balance and work rate out wide they have been chasing since January, all while easing the strain on their salary structure.

Two players, both at a crossroads, both about to find out whether a change of badge is enough to restart a stalled trajectory.