Why Tottenham Hotspur should offload Vincent Janssen in January
The agent of Vincent Janssen has declared that he does not know what the future holds for his client at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Dutch striker, signed from AZ Alkmaar in 2016 for £17m, only managed to score once from open play during a hugely disappointing first season at Tottenham. He spent the previous season on loan at Fenerbahce, but a long-term injury scuppered his opportunity of joining the Turkish outfit permanently from Tottenham Hotspur.
Vincent Janssen is currently recovering from a foot injury he picked up in July but he’s expected to be back in training in the New Year. Even if he returns to full fitness, it looks highly unlikely that Mauricio Pochettino would give him an opportunity this season. Besides, the 24-year-old has been unregistered in Spurs’ Premier League and Champions League squads.
So with Vincent Janssen out injured and completely out of favour under Pochettino, what should Pochettino do?
It’s time for Tottenham to offload Vincent Janssen in January. Harry Kane has been Spurs’ undisputed first-choice striker but Mauricio Pochettino should actively pursue a back-up for the England international.
Currently, Fernando Llorente is Kane’s back-up but the Spaniard has done very little to truly provide the Englishman with some competition since signing from Swansea City last summer. Llorente has just six months remaining on his current contract at Tottenham and is eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club.
In fact, the Spaniard has spoken of his desire to return to Athletic Bilbao in January but given there are already a lack of options, a move to the Basque Country remains highly unlikely.
Truth be told, Spurs must retain the services of Llorente for the season even though he has scored just six goals in 38 appearances. He has seen some action in Europe and was thrown into the mix when Spurs needed a late goal against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League last week.
Llorente is well past his prime and may spend most of his time on the bench with Spurs these days but he has enjoyed some excellent outings in cup competitions, showing he can still be an effective option. However, Spurs should still prefer signing a new striker next month rather than completely pin their hopes on the 33-year-old.
Surely, a new striker in January would spell Janssen’s end at Tottenham. The Dutchman has not played a single minute of competitive football this season due to a foot injury and is nowhere near the quality that Spurs would have expected while signing him two years ago.
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Hence, Pochettino should sell Janssen as soon as possible if there are any interested parties in January.