How good was Tottenham’s purchase of Vincent Janssen for somewhere between 16 and 19 million pounds?
Tottenham’s long and exhaustive search to sign a second striker has finally concluded with the club’s acquisition of Dutch international Vincent Janssen. Did Spurs strike a good bargain with AZ Alkmaar?
The club announced Janssen’s acquisition formally today, and it’s believed that the transfer fee will ultimately settle between 16 and 19 million pounds based on incentives. For the purposes of this evaluation, we’re going to assume that Tottenham ends up paying somewhere around 18 million for the Eredivisie star.
There can be no question that Tottenham desperately needed to add at least one striker this summer. The club was entirely too reliant on Harry Kane to play every match in all competitions last season. If the club didn’t want to run Kane into the ground, they had to find some help for him.
Positionally, there can be no doubt that Janssen is an out-and-out striker. He didn’t play anywhere else on the pitch for Alkmaar last season so it’s a safe bet that he’ll play the vast majority of his minutes for Tottenham as a number 9.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
It is possible that Janssen plays some minutes alongside Kane in a two striker formation, but that will be a secondary purpose for the Dutch striker. His chief role will be to come off the Tottenham bench to relieve Kane late in games, or to spell him with starts in lesser competitions.
The question we must attempt to answer is whether or not Janssen has enough quality to thrive in the Premier League. The history of Eredivisie stars transitioning to the Premier League has an equal share of success stories and cautionary tales. Which will Janssen become?
His purchase is a pretty big risk by Tottenham. He exploded onto the Eredivisie and Dutch national scene this season, but his career before that is pretty nondescript. Optimistic Spurs fans will say the club is buying a star on the rise before his reputation explodes around the globe. Pessimistic Tottenham supporters will bemoan the club’s policy of buying a one year wonder.
I’m reasonably optimistic about Janssen’s chances of becoming an above-average backup striker for Spurs. He seems to have the right temperament and work ethic to cope with the pressures of Premier League football and that’s generally enough to avoid becoming a flop. This isn’t a striker that’s going to be overwhelmed by the North London nightlife.
Related Story: Poch calls Janssen a fighter
My only issue with the deal is that 18 million pounds is a steep price to pay for a striker who doesn’t have a real history of success. It’s really a situation where if it pans out, Tottenham have purchased a 30 million pound player. If it doesn’t, he’s probably going to be sold off for 8 million.
All in all, I like this deal for Tottenham, but I don’t love it. The price of strikers around the globe has never been higher and purchasing a promising starlet who was willing to play second-fiddle to Kane was a significant obstacle. I’ll credit the move as being just a hair above average.