Tottenham may need Vincent Janssen before January
Mauricio Pochettino’s apparent decision to banish Vincent Janssen from the Tottenham squad may please some Spurs fans who don’t think he’s good enough for a top Premier League side. Unfortunately, Pochettino may need Janssen to play before he’s able to secure a replacement for the Dutch international.
Reports from the Netherlands claim that Pochettino is furious with the striker after he refused to leave the club on Deadline Day. That decision coupled with his inability to score goals for the Argentine gaffer allegedly have seen Janssen banished from the Tottenham first team.
The manager’s frustration with Janssen’s play is certainly understandable. He arrived in North London with massive expectations after a prolific season for AZ Alkmaar. Unfortunately, he’s been able to come anywhere near replicating that goal scoring form in England.
His inability to provide adequate cover for Harry Kane necessitated Spurs’ purchase of a new striker on Deadline Day. Janssen surely wasn’t happy to see Fernando Llorente brought in to replace him in the squad. Still, initially it seemed that Janssen was determined to stay and fight for his place.
Why else would he have snubbed loans to another Premier League side where he would have received regular playing time? It’s not as if his wages would have been negatively affected. It’s possible that he wanted to stay with the prospect of playing Champions League football, but that would have been a tremendously naive decision. He was always going to be on the outside of Pochettino’s squad behind Kane and Llorente.
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Despite all of Janssen’s inadequacies, it’s still easy to see Tottenham needing to play him before the start of the winter transfer window. For all of Kane’s brilliant play, he did miss significant time due to injury last season. One reckless kick from an opponent or clumsy twist of the knee could force him out of action for months.
The same sort of injury could befall Llorente as well. Unlike Kane, he’s on the downside of his career arc due to age. He’s struggled mightily during his time at Swansea to stay on the pitch for his side. His fitness should improve as a backup, but expecting him to handle the striker load for an extended period of time on his own would be a risky proposition.
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The simple truth is that clubs who aspire to compete in all competitions need three strikers in their squad. That’s why Pochettino need to be very careful with how he treats Janssen. He may not rate him any longer, but freezing him out of the squad altogether could cost the club dearly. Pochettino would be better off keeping Janssen on the fringes of the first team in case of emergency.