Brennan Johnson says Palace feel their best before final
Brennan Johnson says Crystal Palace are feeling as good as they ever have before the UEFA Conference League final, with the club’s early-season upheaval now a distant memory. Palace are one win from their first ever European trophy, and Johnson is chasing another final-deciding role after doing the same for Tottenham last season.
Johnson on Palace's mood
Johnson said the changes at Crystal Palace over the course of this season had affected the team at first, but the mood has shifted as the campaign has gone on. “The longer it went on, the more games we played, especially in the Conference League, the buzz comes back and then it feels like that was a distant memory because now we’re a team that’s feeling as good as we ever have. We want to do everything we can to bring success.”
That runs against the early stretch of the 2025/26 season, when Palace lost Eberechi Eze, captain Marc Guehi and saw Oliver Glasner announce he will step down at the end of the season. Johnson said the first few weeks after those changes were difficult, but the people around the club and the players put him at ease and gave him more confidence about what was happening.
Rayo Vallecano await Palace
Rayo Vallecano stand between Palace and the trophy, with the club already having stayed comfortably in the Premier League this season. That has left the final as the main target in a season that has moved from adjustment to opportunity.
Johnson’s own reference point is clear. He won the Europa League with Tottenham last season, scored the winning goal in the final and finished as Spurs’ top scorer. Asked about doing it again, he said, “Yeah, I think it kind of creeps in sometimes naturally,” before adding, “But then I just think about the opportunity we have and still how much we have to do to be able to get to that point.”
Johnson's January move
The 25-year-old also reflected on the mid-season switch that brought him to Palace in January. “It happened so fast,” he said. “I literally signed and two days later, I was up in Newcastle playing.”
Johnson called it “a new experience for me, changing teams mid-season,” and said he “probably struggled with a little bit at the time.” He added that Palace’s boys, staff and fans made him feel welcome, and said he owes them a lot of thanks for making him feel at home. For Palace, the final offers a chance to turn that settled dressing room into silverware; for Johnson, it is a chance to do what he did last season and decide another European final.
