Report: Spurs flop Vincent Janssen could be in line for a return to European football

Former Tottenham striker Vincent Janssen has revealed that he could join Belgium club Antwerp this summer.

Spurs paid £17m (BBC Sport) to snap up Janssen from AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2016 after he finished as the Eredivisie’s top scorer during the 2015-16 season.

However, it soon became clear that the striker did not have the quality to cut it in the English top-flight and after an unsuccessful loan spell with Fenerbahce, he was eventually sold to the Mexican side Monterrey in the summer of 2019.

The Dutch striker has rebuilt his reputation at the Liga MX side over the last few years, even helping the club to a historic treble back in 2020.

However, Janssen has struggled to hit the same heights this season, having scored just once in 15 appearances so far (Transfermarkt).

Despite this, the striker made his comeback to the Netherlands set-up this week, starting for the Dutch in their 3-2 win over Wales in the Nations League.

The former Tottenham man has now revealed that he has spoken to Antwerp, who have former Arsenal winger Marc Overmars as their technical director and former Netherlands midfielder Mark Van Bommel as their head coach.

Janssen said (via The Sun): “There has been contact with Marc Overmars and Mark van Bommel. I hope we get out, but I can’t say more about it.

“I had three great years in Mexico and I’m still happy there. But we’ll see in the coming days.”

When asked about his return to the Dutch national side, he said: “I’ll help the team. I was important in two goals. This was also what the coach had indicated: fighting for the ball and the team. 

“I tried to be a strong point of contact. It always takes some getting used to because the level is quite high, but I can be important in my way. Did I pass my exam? That should be determined by the national coach. I tried my best.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Janssen will go down as one of the poorest purchases in Tottenham’s history. While one could at least see with the likes of Roberto Soldado and Paulinho why Spurs were tempted to take a punt, the Dutchman just looked way short of the required physical sharpness and technical quality from the second he set foot on the pitch at White Hart Lane.

Related Topics