Everton’s McNeil & Palace’s Johnson poised for swap
Everton and Crystal Palace are negotiating a swap deal that would send winger Dwight McNeil to Selhurst Park and see Wales international Brennan Johnson move to Goodison Park in the opposite direction. Both clubs are hoping to finalise the deal this week, revisiting a transfer that collapsed earlier this year amid controversy over how McNeil was treated by Palace.
McNeil, 26, had a loan-to-buy move to Palace worth £20m agreed in February, and had passed a medical, but the deal fell through when paperwork was not completed in time, prompting his partner to publicly criticise the club's handling of his mental health. Johnson, 25, joined Palace from Tottenham for £35m in January but failed to score in 26 appearances, whereas McNeil has scored 15 times in 128 games since joining Everton from Burnley for £20m in 2022. The two clubs, who finished 13th and 15th respectively in the Premier League last season, meet at Hill Dickinson Stadium on 22 August in the opening weekend of the new campaign.
- Everton and Palace in talks to swap Dwight McNeil for Brennan Johnson
- Revives a deal that collapsed in February amid mental health criticism
- Clubs hope to complete the swap this week, before facing each other on 22 August
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Proponents of the deal might argue that both clubs benefit from acquiring players better suited to their tactical needs. McNeil's superior scoring record offers Palace a genuine attacking upgrade, whilst Johnson could flourish under fresh circumstances at Everton; change of scenery frequently revitalises struggling careers. This swap allows both clubs to reset their relationships with underperforming assets without incurring major new expenditure.
The case against
Sceptics contend that swapping disappointing performers merely reshuffles problems rather than addressing them. Johnson's substantial £35m investment at Palace represents written-off capital that Everton would inherit without guarantee of improvement, whilst McNeil's previous Palace move collapsed due to the club's poor handling of his wellbeing—revisiting that relationship risks institutional failure. Both clubs would be better served selling these players entirely and investing fresh resources in unencumbered talent rather than dealing in assets bearing problematic histories.