Reports have emerged suggesting that Tottenham Hotspur are set to cut their losses on summer signing Vincent Janssen in the summer and use the funds from his sale to sign £8.50m rated Burnley striker Andre Gray.
Gray has been impressive in his first season in the Premier League with the Clarets and as a result has emerged on the radar of several other clubs. Janssen arrived at the White Hart Lane in the summer of 2016 on the back of a great season with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, having scored 31 goals in 49 appearances. But he has found the going tough in the Premier League and has just one goal in the competition so far.
Spurs’ leading striker Harry Kane has had to endure two lengthy spells on the sidelines due to ankle problems and Janssen hasn’t been able to fill the void of the Englishman in time of need. As a result, Pochettino has had to make do with using Son Heung-Min at the top and has had to rely heavily on goals from the likes of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen to get them across the line.
The Dutchman did show signs of improvement in the last two games for Spurs, but the reports say that the club are looking for an upgrade in the strike force and believe Gray could be the answer.
The 25-year old Gray rose through non-league football having played for Hinckley United and Luton Town, before moving to Championship side Brentford. He starred heavily in his first season with Sean Dyche’s side, leading the side to promotion to the Premier League scoring 23 times from 41 Championship appearances.
He has been decent form in the Premier League as well, having found the back of the net 8 times from 26 league games. The fact that he has just one year left on his contract with Burnley makes him a very attractive prospect, especially considering that Tottenham will have to be spending more carefully in the transfer market due to the construction of the new stadium.
Gray is an old-fashioned centre-forward who can play at the top all by himself and is even comfortable with a partner playing alongside. Good with his feet, the Burnley striker is a decent dribbler and a very good finisher. But his game does lack a completeness due to his passing, which isn’t really up to the mark and he does not contribute much in terms of defensive work-rate either. Both these aspects are something that are extremely vital for the way Tottenham play and it is known that Pochettino expects his players to help out in the defensive half.
While he will get goals for Tottenham, it does seem unlikely that he can be more than a Plan B for the North Londoners. On the other hand, Janssen is still 22 and has shown great development, having made the leap to the Premier League from playing in the Dutch second division in the gap of three years. He may have struggled in his first campaign, but Tottenham should have some patience with the striker, who has shown great potential, instead of pulling the trigger on his sale this early in his time at the Lane.
Adding Gray to the line-up will no doubt boost up the options for Tottenham, especially with the prospect of Champions League involvement. At 25, he is still yet to peak and has his best years ahead of him and his homegrown player status makes him a great option to have in the ranks. Spurs should be making a move for him considering that he will be available on the cheap due to his contract status. But, the club should not look to sell Janssen yet.