Vincent Janssen happens to be one of the worst buys of the 2016 summer by any Premier League club. He arrived with a great reputation, which resulted in Spurs having to fork out a £17 million transfer fee, from Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar. The 22-year-old had scored a remarkable 31 goals in just 49 games for the Dutch outfit. As goalscoring exploits in Holland have to be taken with a pinch of salt, Spurs decided to spend ‘only’ £17 million on the player. Even then, he has looked extremely overpriced and totally unable to play for a top team like Spurs.
The 22-year-old is yet to score from open play even after playing more than 20 games in all competitions for the club. As a result, manager Mauricio Pochettino is unlikely to give him any more first-team opportunities in the second half of the campaign unless another injury affects striker Harry Kane. Pochettino said that the player’s struggles are due to a new league. It was thought that a temporary loan move would help him with his confidence, which is so important for the forward.
Janssen’s agent, though, has surprisingly revealed that the striker has turned down the opportunity of joining Turkish outfit Galatasaray on a loan deal in January. The striker may have taken this decision knowing that a move right now would probably spell the end of his career with Spurs considering that Harry Kane has been moving from strength to strength. Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot award last season, and he is just one goal shy of topping the charts once again.
Janssen’s agent Patrick van Diermen said that injuries have limited his client’s impact. He said:
“He decided to turn down all interest. Galatasaray came with an offer but Vincent will stay with Tottenham Hotspur. He decided to turn down Galatasaray. Janssen’s agent Patrick van Diermen told Dutch news outlet Omroep Brabant.
“Vincent chose Tottenham Hotspur in the summer fully aware of what his chances would be to play. He signed a long-term contract with a good club with fantastic facilities and a good coach.”
The striker recently got an opportunity to demonstrate that he is capable of scoring goals when he started against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. However, he was replaced just after 60 minutes after toiling very hard against the championship outfit. Spurs challenging on three fronts may be the best possible hope for Janssen to get first team opportunities in the second half of the season. Even though much to know may be prepared to give him opportunities, the manager can only do so much when the player is not scoring goals.
The decision to stay at White Hart Lane is certainly a brave one from Janssen considering that it puts his international career at stake. He made his debut for Holland in 2016 and has since featured in 10 games for the national team.
