Tottenham Hotspur omission means Vincent Janssen will surely regret West Brom snub

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West Brom appears a far better fit for Vincent Janssen than Tottenham Hotspur – so why did he turn them down?

If Vincent Janssen thought his first season at Tottenham Hotspur was tough, his second is not about to get any easier. The Dutchman was one of the most disappointing signings of 2016/17, scoring just one Premier League goal from open play to hardly justify Spurs’ decision to pay AZ Alkmaar £17 million for his signature (The Mirror).

And Spurs signing Fernando Llorente from Swansea City on deadline day has forced the out-of-favour Janssen further down the pecking order, the ultimate humiliation coming when Tottenham excluded him from their 25-man Champions League squad.

Though it appears that, if Tottenham had their way in the transfer window, the club could have avoided these awkward conversations with the Dutch international striker.

Because De Telegraaf (5th September, sport pull-out page 1) report that chairman Daniel Levy spent deadline day desperately attempting to force Janssen out of the club after manager Mauricio Pochettino (below) came to the conclusion that the 23-year-old simply wasn’t good enough to lead the line for his side.

Perfect chance passed him by?

However, it appears that Janssen was less keen on the prospect of leaving North London after just 12 months. The report adds that the 2016/17 Eredivisie Golden Boot winner turned down the chance to join West Brom for £23 million, a deal that would have earned Spurs a rather impressive profit on one of the Premier League’s poorest recent signings.

Furthermore, he also rejected the chance to join newly promoted Brighton on loan.

Therefore, with Spurs signing Llorente and omitting Janssen from all European action, it appears that the striker has made a huge mistake deciding against the prospect of continuing his Premier League career elsewhere.

Because Janssen appears unlikely to see much action over the next few months. At West Brom, however, he could have found Tony Pulis’ direct style a far better fit to a skill set that meant he struggled with the intensity and intricacy of Tottenham’s build-up play.

Janssen is an old-school number nine who thrives on crosses into the box – suggesting The Baggies could have been the perfect environment for Janssen to prove that he is, in fact, Premier League quality.