Tottenham: Janssen Provides Competition for Kane
Tottenham signed Vincent Janssen with the intent to have him back up Harry Kane, but perhaps they’re getting more than they expected.
For two seasons Tottenham had one center-forward on the squad, this meant that Harry Kane would have no backup and no one to provide some adequate competition.
With the signing of Vincent Janssen, Spurs have gotten a backup striker and the perfect person to compete against Kane, giving him even more incentive to stay at the top of his game.
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Former Tottenham player, Clive Allen, recently spoke of the Dutchman’s arrival and how he would help the England international remain as one of the country’s best center-forwards.
“Harry will benefit from [Vincent] Janssen coming to the club, no question,” Allen told the Mirror (via London Evening Standard).
“For a start, it will give the manager Mauricio Pochettino another option if he feels Harry needs a break.”
“And just as importantly, it will be competition for Harry. If he feels his place is under threat, it’s bound to add something to his game.”
“I know I felt like that and I am sure most players do – that if someone comes in and does well in your position, you know you may have to fight to get back in the team.”
In Kane’s first season with Tottenham, he scored 21 league goals and 31 in all competitions after being named a full-time starter in November 2014.
Perhaps knowing that he had one shot to prove he belonged in Spurs’ starting XI as the best striker on the squad, with Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor lying in wait should the 23-year-old not take advantage of the situation, Harry Kane ended the year as Tottenham’s leading goal scorer by a fine margin.
This would set up last summer’s exits for both Soldado and Adebayor.
While the two men didn’t exactly provide competition for Harry Kane, it was obvious that having them on the squad two years ago meant that Kane couldn’t slip up or he might not have gotten another chance.
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This is why competition is crucial and why signing a backup striker like Vincent Janssen will only make Tottenham and Harry Kane much better in the long run.
Not only will Mauricio Pochettino have two proven goal scorers on his squad, but whenever Kane needs rest, Janssen is more than capable of filling in and doing well if his pre-season performances have shown us anything.
Kane’s European Championship was a low point in his England career as he wasn’t able to score a goal and was forced to take corners and free kicks under the guidance of Roy Hodgson.
But after rejoining Tottenham in Norway to face Inter Milan, he scored a brace and looked back to his scoring ways. It seems that there were no lasting effects, something that Clive Allen doesn’t believe will affect him this year.
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“As for any lasting effect from the Euros, no, I don’t think there will be [any] for Harry,” Allen added.
“You have to remember how he had to battle to establish himself at Spurs in the first place.”
“He was going out on loan everywhere before he got his chance – and he took it really well.”
It’s to be expected that Harry Kane will also take this newfound competition against Vincent Janssen very well. And who knows, maybe both players end up starting together down the stretch.