Oliver Miller gives his opinion on Vincent Janssen’s hopeless looking situation with Tottenham Hotspur.
- By Oliver Miller
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The dust is finally starting to settle over Europe as the summer transfer window closes. Unfortunately, Vincent Janssen still finds himself stuck in north London.
Much was expected from the young striker when he completed his £22 million move to Tottenham from AZ. Since then, six goals in 35 games for Spurs (only two from open play) has led to criticism of the Dutchman.
Reports in England suggested that he had his suitors on ‘deadline day’ but refused a move away from Wembley. Instead, opting to fight for his place. What he probably didn’t account for was Spurs’ swoop for Swansea ace Fernando Llorente.
The addition of Llorente has moved Janssen down the pecking order again and now means that he won’t feature in the Champions League after not being registered by Spurs.
The Mirror claims that three Premier League clubs were interested in him. A fee of £17 million was being thrown around. Brighton, West Brom and Stoke were all interested but Janssen said no. Now, he’s in danger of being frozen out of the club completely.
I recently had dinner with an AZ fan and while football wasn’t exactly on the menu, it was bound to crop up. He felt no hard feelings towards Janssen for his move. However, in hindsight could see that it was going to end in failure. The Dutchman had arguably had the toughest competition for position in golden boot winner Harry Kane. Maybe he saw the bright lights of London and the previous success of Eredivisie star Christian Eriksen and decided to go for it. Instead, Janssen looked more like Mateja Kezman than Christian Eriksen.
Internationally
It is no secret that the Oranje are struggling internationally. The likes of Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar are all entering the twilight of their careers. Fans were hopeful that players like Janssen, Memphis Depay and Marco van Ginkel would all carry their immense potential through. However, eagerness to get away to top European leagues has stunted each of these players careers. While Depay and van Ginkel are seemingly on the road to recovery at Lyon and PSV, Janssen still finds himself stuck.
Interestingly, his below-par performances for Spurs haven’t had a direct effect on his playing time for Oranje. A regular feature in a side that doesn’t boast the firepower it once did. Fifteen caps and seven goals for is a steady return for someone expected to be in the side for a while.
What now?
A future away from north London is exactly what he needs if he’s going to reach the heights that many predicted. Brighton would’ve been an interesting move, especially considering the ex-Eredivisie contingent but that ship has now sailed.
Carabao Cup games seem like his only chance of first-team football at Spurs. Even then, Llorente isn’t expected to play a huge role in Premier League games so he’ll want some action too. Also, youngster’s like Kazaiah Sterling might mix things up a little. Slim transfer hope remains. The Turkish transfer window remains open until 11pm (GMT) on Friday 8th September. However, he’ll have to fight Diego Costa for a move if recent reports in Turkey are deemed to be true.
At the risk of using footballs most overused cliché, Janssen, at 23-years-old, still has time on his side. However, the sooner he can get away from Tottenham the better.
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