According to reports in The Mirror, Vincent Janssen’s Tottenham Hotspur career is over after he refused to leave the club on transfer deadline day.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror says that after a disappointing debut season with Spurs following a move from AZ Alkmaar last summer, manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t believe that the Dutchman is good enough to compete or even deputise for Harry Kane.
With Fernando Llorente also arriving from Swansea City on deadline day, Janssen is now the third-choice centre-forward and looks likely to be frozen out of the first-team picture after being left out of their squad for the Champions League.
The Mirror says that having been stung with the faith they showed in Roberto Soldado previously, Tottenham would rather cash in on Janssen now as they feel he isn’t up to the standard they require.
The report adds that Spurs had told other Premier League teams that the 23-year-old was available, but he refused to go when West Bromwich Albion, Brighton and Hove Albion and Stoke City showed interest.
Why do Tottenham want to get rid?
Having scored 31 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions for AZ in his final season with the Eredivisie club, Pochettino would have been hopeful that he would bring that form and confidence with him to White Hart Lane, but it just didn’t happen for the striker.
The Netherlands international missed plenty of sitters and disappointed with his all-round play, meaning his time on the pitch was often limited.
The 23-year-old netted just six goals in 35 outings in total for Spurs last term, including two in 24 Premier League appearances, with one of those coming from the penalty spot.
As we mentioned previously, Tottenham kept faith with Soldado previously and it failed to pay off, and they are obviously unwilling to do the same considering they are aiming to win the Premier League title as well as making an impact in the Champions League.
What happens next?
Well, Janssen is still in Tottenham’s Premier League squad so it will be interesting to see if he features as part of the 18 for the trip to Everton at Goodison Park this weekend.
While that is unlikely, he may well be needed over the course of the next few months if Kane or Llorente were to pick up injuries.
