Yes, it does need visual back-up, and that’s where I’m falling a little short on him. I want to believe good things about Johnson. I am generally of the opinion that our recruitment team under Paratici and Gabbiani has a well-thought out, defensible plan, and I want to try to decipher what they’re seeing.
And I see a profile that likely checks a lot of boxes. It’s an unfinished profile but pace, ball carrying, obvious directness both in going at defenders&running in behind, and high output of shots and crosses to touches, I’m sure it lights up a lot of boards. He probably looks like a homeless man’s Kylian Mbappe on their data profiling. Which is exciting but also kind of concerning, because that’s also the Theo Walcott profile.
he’s a bit more than OK, not bad, but I think more of the eye test is needed with him, because he’d be bought to be a decisive player with an elite final ball… and I’m not sure if he truly has that in him.
The top wingers have what I call three-level-threat a) the short yard threat - they can go by a man in a phone booth, explode by someone in a tight space, with practiced and intentional skill, b) the mid level threat - they can beat a fullback with space in behind, they can dart into the box from wide, they can play a deft cross from the edge of the box, they can finish off cutbacks and on breakaways, etc. and c) long range threat - they can be a creative outlet with brilliant crosses from 30 yards away, they can stretch a defense from their own half, they can hit long shots and play cross field long balls.
He’s a great mid level threat player imo. But he lacks the top ball striking and long range threat that makes a Son or Perisic so special, as well as the short range threat that makes a Doku go to City for £60m. He actually reminds me a lot of Walcott, Azza, and also of Dele in that their skill is sort of limited to medium length stuff. They can scuff finishes in, play great passes across the box, they can beat one man wide, but they haven’t got the full toolkit that top European wingers have, both in terms of ball striking for crossing and finishing from distance, and in terms of short range beating a man. It’s a very English affliction.