This summer’s transfer window still has over a month to run, but already we’ve seen a host of exciting newcomers sign for Premier League clubs.
As part of our build up to the 2016/17 campaign, tactics expert Adrian Clarke runs the rule over what some of the new faces will offer in the coming months.
Clarke turns his thoughts to a young striker hoping to emulate Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur.
Vincent Janssen
With only one full, albeit spectacular season at the top level, signing 22-year-old Netherlands forward Vincent Janssen was a gamble that Mauricio Pochettino was prepared to take this summer.
But based on the striker’s incredible progress last season it looks a move likely to prove fruitul for Spurs.
Claiming the coveted Johan Cruyff Trophy, awarded to Dutch football’s ‘Talent of the Year’, Janssen arrives at White Hart Lane on the back of a special breakthrough campaign with AZ Alkmaar, scoring 27 goals to top the Eredivisie charts.
He is a clinical, natural-looking finisher. Able to score with both feet, even if the left is his strongest, the high number of one-touch strikes he successfully executed last term is an indicator of the confidence he has inside the penalty area.
| Left foot | Right foot | Header | One-touch finish | Two-touch finish | + two-touch |
| 15 (inc 5 pens) | 10 | 2 | 20 | 5 | 2 |
In many respects he reminds me of a left-footed Kane; both players equally happy to perform with their back to goal, travel with the ball, or loiter inside the box sniffing out chances. They are strikers in the traditional number-nine mould.
Their strength in possession is another clear similarity. Defenders do not find it easy to outmuscle Janssen, who for a young player seems to relish the physical battle.
Could they play as a front two?
With Kane happy to roam in search of the ball, it is a possibility - especially if Spurs' manager wants to experiment with three at the back, a system that should suit his personnel.
Whether he is a regular or not in 2016/17, Janssen looks an astute signing. He is young enough to be happy with a place on the bench, and should develop quickly under the guidance of Pochettino.
Janssen scored his first Spurs goal in a 3-1 pre-season victory over Rotherham last week before playing in the International Champions Cup against Juventus and Atletico Madrid.