Vincent Janssen is an early contender for ‘flop of the season’ but could another Eredivisie graduate replace him at Tottenham Hotspur?
As if we needed a reminder that paying top dollar for Eredivisie strikers is risky business, Vincent Janssen’s ongoing struggles in the English game have once again brought the league’s ability to exaggerate a forward’s talent to light.
The Dutch international scored 27 goals for AZ Alkmaar last season but, in Tottenham colours, has now fired off 33 shots in all competitions without finding the net, according to Opta. No Premier League striker can match that particular tally. None would want to.
Consequently, many have been quick to condemn Spurs’ decision to spend £17 million, as reported by the BBC, on a striker from the same background as Mateja Kezman and Afonso Alves. But perhaps it was a case of right league, wrong man.
The Mirror report that Spurs are monitoring Hoffenheim’s £6 million-rated Mark Uth, a forward who, just two seasons ago, was racking up the goals in the land of Total Football. Yet he is not merely another flat-track, Eredivisie-born bully.
Uth is a far more nimble player than Janssen, quicker off the mark and more subtle in possession.
He is equally adept at dropping off the front and into wide areas, drifting past opponents with his fine footwork before setting up a teammate or locating the corners with laser-like precision.
He scored 20 goals for Heerenveen in 2014/15 but, tellingly, assisted another 11.
Janssen, in his one season in the Dutch top flight, created just four goals and his rather one-dimensional approach, coupled with a startling lack of pace, means he appears increasingly ill-suited to both Premier League football and Mauricio Pochettino’s free-flowing, interchangeable attacking approach.
Uth, however, appears a much better fit and, crucially, could play with the equally adaptable Harry Kane in a support role.
As for Janssen, needless to say Spurs fans are quickly running out of patience.
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