Vincent Janssen has probably played his last game for Tottenham, according to a reliable journalist.
Football London’s Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold revealed in a question-and-answer blog on Friday (1.39pm) that the striker is unlikely to return to White Hart Lane when his season-long loan at Fenerbache expires.
Janssen had a torrid time at Spurs in his first season after joining from AZ Alkmaar for £18million and moved to Turkey in early September after the deadline day signing of Fernando Llorente.
Asked about the possibility of bringing back Janssen in January to strengthen the front line, Gold replied: “[Pochettino] wasn’t impressed when I asked him last week whether Llorente was threatening to become another Janssen with his lack of game time and rustiness.
“He said you couldn’t possibly compare the two players. As for Janssen, I don’t get the impression Poch would want him back or the player would want to return.”
OPINION
Janssen is a striker who came to Tottenham on the back of a great goal-scoring record in the Dutch Eredivisie but found he just couldn’t produce in the Premier League. With Harry Kane blocking his first-team path, he didn’t get a sustained run in the first team. However, you know when you go to a club with an established striker that you will need to take whatever chances you get, and Janssen couldn’t produce under the pressure. The Holland international has not exactly set the world on fire in Turkey, with 12 games yielding just three goals. He has a Spurs contract that run until 2020, so the club might have to sell him at a loss next summer.