Spurs boss Postecoglou glad of Johnson revival ahead of Europa quarter-final

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said he was delighted that Brennan Johnson returned to goalscoring form against Southampton ahead of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Johnson struck twice in the first half of a 3-1 win for Spurs on Sunday that condemned the struggling Saints to relegation from the Premier League.

They were his first home goals of 2025, with Johnson now having scored 16 this season in total.

Spurs host Eintracht in the quarter-final first leg, hoping to keep alive their last remaining chance of silverware this term.

“I was really pleased for him, not just goals but his general (play) was really good,” said Postecoglou of Johnson, who ended an eight-match goal drought against Southampton.

“He’s important for us. As a wide player, there aren’t many around that are a constant goal threat like he is.

“With Brennan, he’s always in the areas we need him to be. He’s probably one of the most disciplined players we have in terms of making sure he’s always in the right positions and that’s why he gets his goals.”

Wales’ Johnson enjoyed a fine start to the season and scored in seven consecutive matches for club and country.

But he suffered a calf injury in January and has only netted in two games since, against Southampton and relegation-threatened Ipswich.

“There have been times this season when his form has suffered because of the team more than anything else,” added Postecoglou.

“I think like we played in the first half, Brennan becomes a really important player for us as we’re a constant threat, breaking lines, making half-space runs, we were getting balls into the box in the areas we need to and every time we went forward we looked like scoring.”

Tottenham sit 14th in the Premier League table with seven games remaining.