Remember Vincent Janssen? It was Mauricio Pochettino who signed the Dutchman for Tottenham back in 2016, before he struggled in the Premier League.
In total, the 28-year-old only scored six goals in 42 appearances for Spurs, before he was sold to Monterrey in 2019 by the man who signed him – Pochettino.
Since then, Janssen has actually done well to get his career back on track, earning a recall to the Netherlands setup where he has now received praise from Van der Vaart.
What’s the story?
Well, the Tottenham icon said Janssen has “done insanely well” since returning to the international scene, and praised the Dutchman for his performance in the 3-2 win against Wales last night.
As quoted by FC Update, Van der Vaart said: “I think he has done insanely well. He is probably a mega star in Mexico, but we don’t get that. That makes sense. I am happy with what he has shown today. He keeps the ball with him, has good technique and we know he can score a goal.”
Janssen grabbed the assist for the first goal, cleverly setting up Noa Lang, before also playing a part in the second goal, scored by Cody Gakpo.
Clearly, his time at Monterrey has helped to rebuild some confidence, which Louis van Gaal and the Netherlands are now benefitting from.
By the looks of it, Janssen’s move to Tottenham just came at the wrong time, and he wasn’t helped by the presence of someone as good as Harry Kane in his position.
Tottenham must learn from Vincent Janssen move
In our view, Tottenham need to remember Janssen’s struggles when dipping into the Eredivisie for new signings.
We’ve already seen Steven Bergwijn fail to make an impact in England after arriving from PSV Eindhoven, and some outlets are now claiming that Spurs want to sign Gakpo from the same club.
If that is true, then we believe the north Londoners need to approach the Netherlands with some caution, as some of the nation’s best players can struggle to adapt in the Premier League.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
