'Ready-made': BBC pundit says £20m Leeds and Newcastle target is 'outstanding' after FA Cup heroics

By Lee Connor

What a weekend of FA Cup action we have this time around and it has been just been capped off by Nottingham Forest taking a stunning victory over Leicester City this afternoon.

The Reds blew the Foxes away at the City Ground and but for some ridiculous crowd trouble, it was the perfect day for Steve Cooper’s side in Nottingham. The Reds are now into the fifth round of the cup and are just a few points off a playoff spot in the Sky Bet Championship.

Part of Forest’s rise under Cooper has been the form of a certain few players. And while Djed Spence continues to get rave reviews in defence, it’s hard to ignore the performances of Brennan Johnson in attack. The speedy forward was linked with a £20m exit in January, with both Leeds and Newcastle sniffing.

And according to the BBC’s Martin Keown today, Johnson is indeed ready to make the step into the top flight.

“Brennan Johnson has been outstanding. His involvement, pace and intelligence. He is ready-made for the Premier League. Obviously Forest fans will be hoping he stays in Nottingham,” Keown said for the BBC .

Certainly, on this showing alone, it’s hard to argue that Keown isn’t spot on about Johnson.

TBR’s View: Forest Need To Go Up To Keep Johnson

That’s the harsh reality here. The Reds did excellently in January to resist bids and make their feelings on their young player known. But come the summer, it will be a different story.

Put simply, Forest have to go up or Johnson will be off. He’ll be unable to resist the lure of top flight football, especially if Newcastle wave a blank cheque at him.

For now, Forest fans can simply enjoy Brennan Johnson. He is as exciting as they get in the Championship and his performance today was that of an assured Premier League player.