The Telegraph report that the sole reason that Spurs’ move for Vincent Janssen has not been successful is down to a Spurs fan and a club that have great trust in his calculations.
The report claims that Billy Beane, the founder of Moneyball is holding up the move as he has set a valuation of £16.5m of Janssen, a sum of money that does not match the highest bid Spurs have made, currently standing at £15m.
Beane and his company Moneyball made their name providing in-depth statistical analysis in baseball, and will be hoping that he can do something similar in football.
AZ Alkmaar hired the Spurs fan last year in March, and trust that his calculations show the true market value of the striker, rejecting Tottenham’s latest bid, holding out for their full asking price set by the Spurs fan Beane.
Providing backup for Harry Kane will be one of Mauricio Pochettino’s main summer transfer window targets, and he will certainly be closer to completing his goal if Spurs can complete the signing of Janssen from AK Alkmaar.
Spurs will be disappointed that they are set to lose out on reported target Michy Batshuayi, who looks set to complete his transfer to Chelsea, and have according to reports in Italy, turned their attention towards an Inter Milan striker.
Janseen is reportedly keen on a move to Spurs, and if given the choice between a move to White Hart Lane and West Ham, who are also keen on the striker, the Dutch international would most likely chose Spurs over their London rivals.
The 22-year-old is keen on a move to Spurs, and will also be keen to make his name in a Spurs shirt, and would have a huge job ahead of him if he is to take Harry Kane’s starting spot, so it is more than likely that if he was to arrive, it would be as second choice striker.
However, if he is to take up this role, he cannot be cast away to the substitutes bench to become a forgotten man. He will still have a very important role to play in the Spurs side. With the Champions League coming next season for Spurs, Pochettino will not want Kane to be playing every single game, so the onus will be on Janssen to do the business when Kane is rested or off the boil.
Will Janssen seal his preferred move to White Hart Lane over this summer transfer window?
