Vincent Janssen reportedly rejected the chance to move to Newcastle United this summer, instead swapping Tottenham Hotspur for Fenerbahce.
Tottenham Hotspur fans could be forgiven for feeling a little bitter.
After all, it took Vincent Janssen until April to finally score his first Premier League goal from open play this season but, after moving to Fenerbahce on loan in the summer, the Dutchman has immediately rediscovered the goalscoring touch form that saw him earn an £18.5 million move to North London in 2016 (The Independent).
16 minutes into his Fener debut, Janssen showed his predatory instincts to fire home from close and set the Istanbul giants on their way to a 4-1 crushing of Alanyaspor.
Just to make things even more frustrating, that was Janssen’s first effort on goal in Turkish football. The fact that Spurs were unable to break down Swansea City at Wembley, stuttering to a second home draw in succession, only pours salt into the wounds.
One that got away?
And you wonder how news of Janssen’s goal will go down on Tyneside too. After all, The Sun (10th September, page 58) claimed that the former AZ Alkmaar talisman, the 2015 Eredivisie Golden Boot winner, rejected the chance to move to Newcastle United during the summer transfer window.
And though The Magpies made it three wins in a row against Stoke City on Saturday, moving up to fourth in the table, they were forced to rely on centre-back Jamaal Lascelles to score the winning goal for the second match in succession.
Joselu, Newcastle’s only new striker this season, endured an afternoon to forget against his former club, blazing one superb chance way over the crossbar in a manner reminiscent of Janssen in Spurs’ white.
There’s no telling whether or not Janssen would have kickstarted his Premier League career by swapping London for the North East but, based on the early evidence, a move away from Spurs is exactly what he needed to get his confidence back.
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