3 things Janssen brings to Spurs

After weeks of speculation and days of waiting for Spurs fans, Tottenham have finally announced the £18.5 million deal that brings striker Vincent Janssen to North London from Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar.

Article by Harvey Simpson

He becomes the second addition Pochettino has made to his Spurs squad, following the arrival of Victor Wanyama from Southampton earlier in the window. Janssen has signed a four year contract until 2020, worth about £25,000 a week, and joins Harry Kane in the attacking department at Spurs.

Pochettino and Paul Mitchell have been searching for a striker this summer to relieve the pressure off Harry Kane who was the club’s only recognised centre forward last term and he believes he has found a future star in Janssen. Here, I have tried to analyse what Janssen will bring to Spurs and whether he will become a Premier League great like Van Nistelrooy or become a flop like Jozy Altidore, both of whom made the jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League.

GOALS

Janssen is a proven goalscorer, having dominated the Eredivisie scoring charts with 27 goals in 34 appearances and with 3 goals in 5 caps for the Dutch national team in the 2015-16 season. With the ability to score with both feet, Janssen is the ideal partner for Harry Kane as he will definitely pushhim for a place in the starting eleven, hopefully bringing the best out of the English striker as well as performing well himself. In the past two seasons, Tottenham have been over reliant on Kane to produce goals, so if Kane now endures a poor run of form, Spurs have the option to bring in Janssen up front. Janssen has also stated his desire to play alongside Kane – “We can complement each other and I think I can learn a lot from him.” Spurs now have a prolific strike force with a combined total of 59 goals in all competitions last season as they begin to prepare for a return to the Champions League next season.

OPTIONS

Tottenham now have two senior strikers for the first time in several years, much to the fans delight, enabling Pochettino to use a traditional 4-4-2 formation if required. Pochettino does, however, prefer to use a 4-2-3-1 formation; a set-up he used both at Southampton and now at Spurs, and Janssen is the ideal player to play as a lone striker. His hold up play is excellent and this is necessary if Pochettino prefers to play a system with a single striker. Janssen will allow the attacking midfielders, the likes of Lamela, Eriksen and Alli, to get into goal scoring positions. Kane will undoubtedly be Pochettino’s number one striker heading into the 2016-17 season but the addition of Janssen gives the Spurs manager options on the bench, should he continue to use a 4-2-3-1 system, and the opportunity to substitute Kane who played in all of Spurs’ Premier League games last campaign.

DEDICATION

Janssen is clearly dedicated to playing for Tottenham Hotspur and is the ideal player for Mauricio Pochettino, who recently described him as the ‘perfect fit’ for his side. The Dutch attacker rejected bids made from French champions PSG, Spurs’ rivals West Ham and Wolfsburg in favour of moving to North London. This dedication to Tottenham has already pleased the fans and reveals that Janssen has set his heart at the club following his visit to the training ground complex last month. Janssen is definitely a Pochettino player as he has been commended for his work ethic and pressing on the pitch. He is also still a relatively young player at 22 with plenty of time to improve which bodes well for Spurs looking at Pochettino’s previous influence on the younger players both at Southampton and Tottenham.

Janssen definitely has the potential to light up White Hart Lane next season and possesses the confidence that is needed if you are to succeed in the Premier League. His record for the Dutch national team confirms that he has the ability to score outside of the Eredivisie and against some top class defences. His work ethic, strength and Pochettino’s record of getting young players to blossom surely signal that Janssen will be successful in a Spurs shirt. However, time is needed for the player to adapt on and off the pitch, especially at a young age. I believe he will turn out to be an important player in Spurs’ quest for glory next season, both in the Premier League and in Europe.

Do you agree? Is Janssen a good signing for Spurs, will he be successful in the Premier League? In which areas should Spurs focus on strengthening now? Who do you want to see Pochettino sign next? Comment below or send me a tweet (@Hotspur_Huddle)

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