After weeks of Negotiation, Tottenham have finally signed Dutch international striker, Vincent Janssen, from AZ Alkmaar. So who is Vincent Janssen and why does he merit the attention of Tottenham despite them having the Premier League’s top scorer Harry Kane in their ranks? The answer is quite simple really. Janssen over the past two seasons has demonstrated his goalscoring abilities.
The suggested fee of only £12 million is a real bargain in today's transfer market where many teams do not blink twice before parting with transfer fees upwards of £20 million to land players they need.
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Janssen’s progression over the past couple of seasons has been phenomenal and an exposure to the fast and physical English Premier League might well suit a player with his attributes.
Most importantly, Spurs need to curb their over-reliance on Harry Kane, who has single-handedly carried the goalscoring burden for them over the past 2 seasons. Yet modern football is an unforgiving arena and all it takes is one bad season with poor form or riddled with injuries for a player to be ditched.
Case in point, Janssen’s fellow Dutchman Robin van Persie. Once the most lethal finisher in the erstwhile BPL, he now finds himself plying his trade in the unfancied Turkish league with Fenerbahce. Hence, Tottenham might want to buttress Harry Kane with a proven goalscoring option in Janssen. He might also bring about a change in the system with two strikers upfront instead of one.
#1 Played second division football
A year back, the 21-year-old Janssen was playing for Almere City in the Dutch second division. Having scored 19 goals for them in the 2014/2015 season, he caught the eye of scouts from AZ who recommended signing him and thus a move to the Dutch Eredivisie found fruition.
He played for Almere City from 2013-2015 and scored 32 goals in total from 74 games. During his time at Almere City, he also represented Netherlands at the Under 20 and Under 21 level, scoring 2 and 8 goals at those levels respectively.
His brilliance shone through and he displayed composure belying his tender years, with his finishing prowess powering Almere City to 10th position in the Dutch second division or Eerste Divisie – their best finish in a decade.
Like many Dutch players before him, Janssen had to work hard to earn his time in the spotlight. Post his youth contract at Feyenoord, Almere City was the only viable option for him and he had to work hard to prove himself.
#2 A meteoric rise to fame
Janssen enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame at AZ, scoring 27 goals in 34 matches for them making him one of Europe’s top marksmen and top scorer in the Eredivisie. Added to his tender age of 21, his prolific goalscoring abilities mark him out as one of the top upcoming talents in Europe.
In July of 2015, AZ decided to bring the foremost marksman of the Eerste Divisie to the Eredivisie to bolster an aging forward line. For a meagre 400,000 Euros, Janssen made the trip from Almere City to AZ and brought with him a reputation of consistent goalscoring ability.
The gamble on AZ’s part nearly backfired as Janssen went goalless in his first eight games. However a brace against F.C. Twente restored the clubs faith in his abilities and most importantly, the strikers confidence and he started scoring consistently since then. He went on to break a 52-year-old record when he scored 20 goals in the second half of a season.
#3 Already a Dutch international
He has already earned 5 senior international caps. His first call-up to the Dutch national team came in March 2016 for friendlies against England and France. He played a pivotal role in the match against England by scoring a goal and setting up another.
His prolific form for AZ at club level could not go unnoticed by a newly installed manager of the national team, Danny Blind. In his 5 international appearances, Janssen has scored thrice.
Coupled with his prolific goalscoring for the Dutch U20 and U21 teams, he has already proved himself to be adept at handling the pressure of performing on the international stage. With the Netherlands having missed out on a berth to France for Euro 2016, the world will have to wait a bit longer to see whether Janssen can deliver the goods when it really matters on the international stage.
Since the Dutch do not have a berth for the football competition in the Rio Olympics, Janssen’s summer will be devoid of further international caps.
#4 Part of the Feyenoord youth system
He won the Dutch national youth title with Feyenoord in 2013 and is a product of the Feyenoord youth system that has produced players such as Robin van Persie, Royston Drenthe, Stefan de Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi, Jonathan de Guzman, Daryl Janmaat, Leroy Fer, Georginio WIjnaldum, Karim Rekik, Jeffrey Bruma and Jordy Clasie, among others.
In spite of scoring a hat-trick that sealed the national youth title for Feyenoord, he was released from their ranks in the summer of 2013. Janssen played for Feyenoord at the U17, U18 and U19 levels before being deemed surplus to requirements.
During his time at Feyenoord, the Rotterdammers managed to win only their second youth title in two decades. Janssen gives Dutch fans some reason to repose faith in the youth setup of the nation, but Feyenoord will be ruing the fact that they let one of Europe’s top marksmen get away, while AZ Alkmaar will be delighted to see their modest gamble pay such rich dividends.
#5 Son of a former World Champion Swimmer
He is the son of Annemarie Verstappen, a former world champion swimmer, hence, natural athleticism is almost inbuilt in his genes! Janssen’s mother won several medals at the 1984 Olympic games and the world championship in 200 metres freestyle a year earlier, feats which were preceded by her being crowned Dutch Sportswoman of the year in 1982.
One of the greatest accomplishments for Janssen at his tender age will be seeing himself being compared with Ruud van Nistelrooy, another Dutchman whose career followed a similar trajectory, having started off in the second tier of Dutch football.
If his move to the English Premier League does materialise and he is able to reciprocate even a fraction of what Van Nistelrooy managed for Manchester United, he shall emblazon his name in gold in Spurs’ folklore.
Not a traditional forward per se, Janssen has the physique to bully defences, much like Diego Costa, while his height makes him a domineering presence from set pieces. Add to that a very good sense of positioning and you have the perfect combination to make a potent goal poacher.
It remains to be seen whether the move does indeed materialise in the end, and if it does, how much of his potential Janssen is able to realise in London.
