Tottenham transfer analysis: Was loaning out Vincent Janssen a mistake?

Harry Kane is the only Tottenham striker with a goal

Tottenham believed they’d secured a massive upgrade over Vincent Janssen when they purchased Fernando Llorente on Deadline Day. Given the fact that the Spaniard has yet to score for Spurs, it’s fair to wonder whether or not the club made the right decision by loaning Janssen to Fenerbahce.

In reality, this is quite a difficult question to answer. By any means of evaluation, Janssen suffered through a disastrous first campaign at Tottenham. It’s hard to imagine a backup striker being less effective given an entire season to provide cover for Harry Kane.

Unfortunately, it’s not impossible to imagine such a scenario. Fernando Llorente’s start to the 2017/18 campaign has brought the idea to life. The venerable Spaniard hasn’t opened his Spurs account with a goal through his first 264 minutes of action.

It’s more than Llorente’s lack of scoring that bothers me. It’s the lack of anything else he provides the squad. He’s almost worthless on the pitch unless he’s providing a real goal scoring threat. The fact that he only appears dangerous with his head only adds to his limitations.

That’s a sharp contrast to the way Janssen played. There’s no question he missed some incredible scoring chances, but you could never question his effort or energy level. Janssen was a tireless worker. He gave his teammates a lift with his excellent hold up play and his willingness to run hard on the press. Llorente has yet to contribute to his teammate’s success by either of those avenues.