Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino must act this summer and cut the club’s losses in relation to Vincent Janssen, with the misfiring striker set to return from a loan stint in Turkey.
The Netherlands international has spent this term at Fenerbahce, but a return of two goals in 11 games has been compounded by consistent injuries.
Tottenham centre forward Janssen is currently on the sidelines and unavailable, with recent reports in Turkey stating that the Istanbul club will not look to sign the 23-year-old permanently at the end of the season.
As such, Pochettino now must act and make a major decision over the striker’s future.
From a positive perspective, Janssen showed admirable qualities in his solitary campaign at Tottenham in 2016-17 – good hold-up play, movement off the ball and a solid work-rate.
The only thing missing was the finishing touch. If Fernando Llorente leaves Spurs this summer, the Dutchman may yet be given an opportunity in the first-team squad.
However, the more likely option is to allow Janssen to leave Tottenham as a failed experiment and recuperate as much of the £17 million fee that the club outlaid to land him from AZ Alkmaar in 2016.
For teams that play with a solitary striker, like Spurs, finding a player with suitable quality that is willing to spend most of his time on the bench is not easy.
Pochettino may well deem that rather than having a dedicated number nine in reserve, like Janssen or Llorente, possessing versatile players in the Tottenham attack to fill the position should Harry Kane be unavailable is a better option.
As such, Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura or Dele Alli (or Wilfried Zaha….?) may be viewed as players capable of fulfilling the striker role if needed by Spurs – allowing Janssen to be sold.
OR Lamela