Tottenham appears to have given up on the striker Vincent Janssen, according to latest reports. As per the reports from Evening Standard, the striker’s current situation is being monitored by Galatasaray and Wolfsburg. The 22-year-old moved from AZ Alkmaar for around £ 18 million only in the summer. A major factor behind Tottenham pursuing the player was his return of 27 league goals last season for the Dutch outfit. However, he has been nowhere near enough towards replicating this record. Janssen is yet to score from open play this season, as his three goals have come from the penalty spot.
The 22-year-old’s last goal for the club was in the 4-3 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup. He has been reduced to a bit-part player, and the situation is unlikely to improve with Harry Kane scoring plenty of goals. Janssen was primarily brought to the club as a replacement for Kane should the England striker get injured or move elsewhere. Even though he was back in the pecking order, Janssen got his big break in the months of October and November. However, he was unable to grab his opportunity with any conviction.
Now, Janssen’s position at the club has deteriorated so badly that he has now been linked with the likes of Wolfsburg and Galatasaray. The striker was linked with a move away from White Hart Lane even as early as in January. However, it now seems to be a case of manager Mauricio Pochettino realising that there was little in the way of options should Janssen leave midway through the campaign. Even though he may not be on a goal scoring form, Janssen has had his positives in the form of providing a target for the attack. Losing this attribute in the middle of the campaign would have been disastrous to the title hopes of the club.
As it is, Janssen continues to remain on the bench with Kane being selected for the first team action. A few weeks ago, manager Mauricio Pochettino claimed that it was not a good practice to write off such a young player who has had just six months of experience in the English league. Pochettino says that Janssen would come good if given time to settle at the club. In the past, a number of players like Gareth Bale did not start performing straight away. Instead, it then at least a few years before managing to establish themselves as some of the best players in the world.
Janssen, though, looks unlikely to receive this favour.