Tottenham have completed the signing of Dutch striker Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar
According to Sky Sports, Tottenham have signed highly-rated Dutch striker Vincent Janssen from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar in a deal believed to be worth £18.6million. The move is of course subject to international clearance.
The Netherlands international has been linked with Tottenham for a good while and negotiations between the two clubs have been going on for the past few weeks. Spurs have finally got their man.
A meteoric rise in Dutch football
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise in Dutch football. The forward only moved to the Dutch top-flight last summer when AZ paid a fee of around 400,000 euros to sign him from second tier club Almere City. Janssen had scored 29 times in 69 appearances for Almere in two seasons prior to AZ signing him.
Last season he enjoyed a stellar campaign in front of goal, topping the Eredivisie scoring charts with 27 goals and in the process earning himself a call-up to the Netherlands squad. The forward has now made five starts for the Oranje and scored three goals.
His first start for his country came in a 2-1 defeat of England in a friendly at Wembley, as he scored a goal and also produced an assist.
Janssen seems to have all the attributes to become a top striker in movement, pace and strength. He also looks like a natural finisher.
It is likely to be tougher for the striker to score goals against superior opposition in the Premier League, but he seems like a confident youngster, which should stand him in good stead in the English top-flight.
Tottenham need an alternative to Harry Kane
Last season Harry Kane played virtually every minute of Spurs’ Premier League campaign, as boss Mauricio Pochettino had few other striking options in his squad.
Cameroon international Clinton N’Jie encountered difficulties through injury and failed to make any impact at White Hart Lane in his debut campaign.
Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot award last season, having scored 25 goals in the English top-flight, but he also looked exhausted. His displays for England at Euro 2016 illustrated just how tired he was. He was that tired he failed to get any of his set-pieces right.
The 22-year-old has not had a summer off in a long time. Last summer he played for England at the under-21 European Championships and this summer he was with the Three Lions in body, if not in mind.
Spurs Argentinian boss Mauricio Pochettino is wise to bring in another striker this summer, but the question is how will he keep the pair happy?
Kane is undoubtedly Tottenham’s first choice striker and Pochettino is unlikely to play two up front any time soon, as he favours playing with a lone striker. If that is the case where does Janssen fit into the team?
Kane is unlikely to be dropped and Janssen seems like an up-and-coming star, so will he be prepared to sit on the Tottenham bench and wait for his chance? The young forward has already stated his admiration of Kane, but also said he was not scared to fight for a place in the team.
Big expectations at Tottenham for next season
No doubt Tottenham are a club in very good health and a team that are going places under Pochettino, especially after last season’s third-place finish.
Spurs need to continually strengthen their squad, as they face increasing competition for a top-four place, which they are currently odds of 10/11 to achieve in the new season.
Janssen is the sort of bright up-and-coming player that Tottenham should be signing, but whether the move to Spurs is the right one for the player himself only time will tell. Maybe a move to a club without such a cast iron first choice striker in place would have proven more beneficial to the forward’s development.
However, it seems like a good signing for Tottenham and the forward comes at a reasonable price when compared to some of the fees being talked about for other strikers, so the transfer may work out well for both parties.
Is a move to Tottenham the right one for Vincent Janssen?
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