The Nottingham Forest promotion campaign of 2021/22 was one to saviour with Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson both proving integral players during that particular season.
Steve Cooper transformed both players into genuine stars. He provided the pair with a platform to really take their careers to another level, with Johnson going on to star in the Premier League under the former Forest boss.
Spence chose Tottenham after that promotion-winning campaign. For a while, it felt like the wrong move, with Antonio Conte not rating Spence and the player enduring failed loan spells with Rennes, Genoa and Leeds.
Johnson moved to Tottenham in the summer of 2023 for £47.5 million. He became the club’s record transfer sale when he made the switch and now both players are impacting Spurs in a positive way on the pitch.
Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson star as Tottenham beat Ipswich
The relegation battle looks like it could be over in a few weeks. Wolves winning yesterday ensured a sizeable gap between them and the bottom three – including Ipswich – is starting to emerge.
Johnson returned to the starting line-up with aplomb at Ipswich. He scored twice as Ange Postecoglou’s team secured a 4-1 victory in East Anglia, with Spence also getting among the goals.
It proved a strong day for Tottenham who put back-to-back wins together for the first time in a while with Postecoglou now starting to get some players back on the pitch after a rotten run with injuries.
Spence and two former Forest players react as Johnson scores twice for Tottenham
Spence was quick to praise his teammate after this one. He posted two football emojis and also a baby face emoji to his teammate after his brace helped Tottenham to the win.
Xande Silva also reacted on Instagram, posting the words ‘Yes sir’ with Silva featuring regularly from the bench during the promotion-winning season before leaving after promotion.
Richie Laryea was a bit of a strange signing for Forest and barely played for the club. He posted ‘Nice you’ on Johnson’s Instagram post and quite clearly he struck up a decent rapport with the players inside the Forest dressing room.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
