Forget Janssen: Tottenham Should Look To Buy Any Of These 3 Strikers In The January Transfer Window

Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham have grown from strength to strength. His first season at the club saw them start slowly as they finished the campaign in 5^th place. In his second campaign, they fared much better as they were in the running for the title until the last few weeks of their campaign, where they capitulated and failed to capitalize on their early season form which saw them defeat a number of big teams.

Spurs had players that were delivering all across the pitch. Harry Kane had another great season and Dele Alli had an explosive introduction to Premier League football as his form saw him represent England. He even went on to play for them at Euro 2016.

What Spurs were missing was a backup option to Harry Kane last season. Pochettino came up with a solution to that problem by bringing in Dutch striker Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar. Big things were expected for the former Almere City man, but he has failed to deliver on those expectations as his form has been quite pedestrian.

Janssen, 22, had only one season in the Dutch top flight. He scored 27 goals in 34 league games for AZ. Prior to that season, he was plying his trade with Almere City in the Dutch 2^nd division. That perhaps explains why he hasn’t gotten used to the pace of the Premier League. Pace anyway, is not one of Janssen’s primary strengths. He relies more on his body strength to hold up play and bring in other players into the game. Something he hasn’t been able to do in his short career at Spurs so far. The Dutchman has 3 goals to his name, but none of them have come from an open play. All of them have been from the penalty spot in what has been a slow and uninspired introduction to the Premier League for Janssen.

Pochettino has come out in favour of his new signing and said that they are having to push Janssen more than they had initially hoped to, but with Harry Kane out injured, they were forced to push forward Janssen’s bedding-in period. The Dutchman has looked brash and even invited suggestions that he belongs in the 2^nd tier of English football, The Championship.

With Janssen failing to produce the goods that are expected of him, should Spurs dig into their transfer chest again to invest on a striker? Here are 3 options that Spurs could do with, to complement the presence of Harry Kane –

Here are 3 options that Spurs could do with, to complement the presence of Harry Kane –

Daniel Sturridge

The Englishman is currently 27, an age where he should be playing week in, week out. But that hasn’t been the case for him at Liverpool where he has had to remain patient for opportunities under Jurgen Klopp. The former Chelsea and Manchester City striker has been restricted to appearances off the bench and cup appearances. He recently scored a brace against Tottenham in the last 16 round of the EFL Cup. Other attackers are being preferred to Sturridge in the Liverpool line up and this is something that will irk the England international. Fans were hoping for good things from Sturridge when he combined ever so well with former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, but that has now faded away and Sturridge finds himself battling for a spot along with the likes of Divock Origi and Danny Ings. A move to Spurs will definitely reinvigorate Sturridge’s career. He could play up front by himself or in a two alongside Harry Kane.

Nikola Kalinic

The Croatian has previous experience of playing in the Premier League as he wore the shirt of Blackburn Rovers for 2 seasons. He might have scored only 7 goals in those two years, but Kalinic was still growing at the time. He came to English football straight from Croatia, where he played for Hajduk Split. He departed Ewood Park for Ukraine, where he joined Dnipro. In his 4 seasons there, he racked up a decent goal tally for himself and began to prove himself as a goal scorer. Such form saw interest in him soaring up and his next destination was Italy, where he joined Fiorentina. He recently scored a hat trick for the team and such performances will only enhance his chances of a return to the Premier League. Tottenham could certainly do with a man of such prowess to take the burden off Harry Kane’s shoulders.

Mauro Icardi

Perhaps the most expensive option out of the three, the Argentine has transformed into one of Inter Milan’s most decisive players. He also skippers the club now at the tender age of 23, which is a testament to his character and quality. Icardi is a real fox in the box and can score goals if he is given the right kind of service. In 102 league appearances for the Nerazzurri, Icardi has 55 goals to his name. Which is quite an outstanding record. He has been compared to Sergio Aguero for his style of play and if Icardi does half as much as Aguero in the Premier League, he would consider that a good return. One thing he needs to sort out his disciplinary record off the field and tendency to get embroiled in petty matters off the pitch. Icardi could turn out to be a very decent acquisition for Spurs if they were to get him.