Jamie O’Hara fires back angrily at Brennan Johnson after a comment blows up on Instagram.
Jamie O’Hara has responded to Brennan Johnson after Johnson’s comments about him went viral on social media.
Johnson recently signed a four-year deal with Everton after moving from Crystal Palace in a swap deal with Dwight McNeil, who went the other way. The 25-year-old was at Selhurst Park for just seven months after joining from Tottenham Hotspur in a £35 million transfer back in January. During that time, he played 26 games across all competitions but didn’t score, though he did provide two assists.
It was a tough start for Johnson in south London, but he did earn his second trophy in two seasons by helping Palace win the Europa Conference League. This came a year after he scored the winning goal for Tottenham in the Europa League final against Manchester United.
While Johnson is excited to start his new chapter at Everton’s stadium, some former Premier League players were less impressed with the swap. Gabby Agbonlahor and Jamie O’Hara made fun of both Johnson and McNeil for their quiet last seasons, with most of their criticism aimed at Johnson.
O’Hara said, “I like Dwight McNeil. Brennan Johnson has been a bit of a myth for a few seasons. He didn’t shine at Spurs. One season he was top scorer, but he hides in big games, hides.” Agbonlahor added, “Look at their stats: 16 Premier League appearances for Johnson at Spurs, two goals, zero assists; then at Palace, zero goals, one assist.” O’Hara laughed at the thought of Johnson’s four yellow cards in 18 games. He then compared McNeil, saying, “22 Premier League appearances, zero goals, one assist. Not enough from him either.”
O’Hara encouraged McNeil, saying, “I like McNeil. If I had to pick a player to have on the pitch, it would be him. He works hard, has a great left foot, and gives you something.” But about Johnson, he added, “He’s just so frustrating.”
The comments were shared on talkSPORT’s Instagram, and Johnson quickly saw the video and replied with a laugh, saying, “Won more than both of these put together,” which got over 17,000 likes.
O’Hara didn’t back down and clarified on X that their discussion was only about the players’ poor stats last season, not that they’re bad players. He wrote, “I’m a fan of McNeil and said Brennan has all the skills, but he’d admit last season was poor.”
Many people responded, suggesting O’Hara and Agbonlahor make these kinds of comments to stir things up. While O’Hara stood by his words, Agbonlahor later apologized to Johnson on air, saying his colleague was “out of order.”
Agbonlahor said, “What did I do wrong? Jamie said ‘crap for crap.’ I want to apologize to Brennan. I laughed because sometimes that happens. But I thought Jamie was wrong and should apologize. Saying ‘crap for crap’ wasn’t right.”
Johnson might make his Everton debut in a friendly against Newcastle United on Wednesday evening.