Tottenham striker Vincent Janssen vows to fight back from flop debut season as he reveals struggles in front of goal
Spurs ace has failed to replicate form which sealed White Hart Lane switch but insists he will come back better next season
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VINCENT JANSSEN says tomorrow’s North London derby will NOT be his last at Tottenham.
The Dutch striker has not pulled up many tulips since joining from AZ Alkmaar for £17million last summer.
Last season’s top scorer in the Eredivisie has scored just six times for Spurs this term — and four of those have come from the penalty spot.
His lack of goals and first-team starts have inevitably led to widespread speculation that he will soon be out of the door at White Hart Lane.
But in an exclusive interview with SunSport, Janssen said: “There have been a lot of rumours about me leaving but I have not been at the club for a year yet. When I joined I signed a long contract and I am happy here.
“Of course I am disappointed with my number of goals but I am not a quitter. I like the club — my team-mates, the staff, the fans, the training, everything — and we are doing well, so why would I leave?”
Janssen scored 27 goals in 34 games in the Dutch league last season to win the ‘Golden Clog’. But he has not found goals as easy to come by for Spurs.
He has netted just twice in 24 Premier League appearances, with his other four goals coming in the FA and EFL Cups.
Janssen, 22, said: “I have not scored as many goals as I wanted to but I know I have improved as a player and I am a better player now than I was last season.
“I like it here, I really enjoy it. I think it’s been a good season for me. I know people will see my number of goals and maybe joke at that.
“But this is my first season in a new country at a new club and I have learnt so much. People think because I am from Holland and we all speak English there would not be any problems.
“But everything in England is still new to me. I don’t see my family or friends. The club have been brilliant with me and done everything possible to try to help me settle in.
“You learn always and I have learnt so much this season. I am always confident and I believe I will score more goals next season.”
So why has he struggled to score this season?
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Janssen, speaking at Tottenham’s Enfield training complex, paused for a moment before replying: “Good question. Sometimes I have been a bit unlucky and hit the post or bar or the keeper has pulled off a great save.
“But I cannot put it all down to just this. Strikers in England get less time than in Holland and it took me a while to get used to that.
“I know I have missed some chances but that’s part of being a striker and I know it’s part of being a striker that when you don’t score people talk about it. So I want to change that.
“It’s not what I wanted, nor what I expected at the beginning of the year. But if you miss a chance you have to keep going.
“It’s disappointing but I have to keep working hard and believing the next chance will come and I will score it.
“It has been hard sometimes. When you come off the pitch and you have had some chances but not scored it is difficult.
“It has been difficult for me to accept because it is new. It is something I have not been used to. It’s not so bad when you are on the pitch because you are too busy concentrating on the game and what is going on.
“It is when you walk off and start to think about it and realise you can do no more about it, that it starts getting to you. I know some strikers get through this by talking to friends or their team-mates afterwards.
“I don’t. My attitude is that tomorrow is a new day and you cannot affect what happened yesterday so there is no point dwelling on it.
“I am always keen to learn from my mistakes and analyse my game with those at the club to try to improve.
“But there is no point unloading everything on to someone else because they do not really understand and no amount of chats can overturn what happened in the previous match.
“So I deal with it by thinking about something else until the next training session or match, to put it right.”
Yet despite Janssen’s lack of goals you will not find a more popular player at a club anywhere in the country.
The Holland hitman’s hard work and positive attitude has clearly not gone unnoticed by his team-mates and the club’s fans.
His goal in Tottenham’s recent 4-0 win over Bournemouth — his first from open play in the Premier League — received the biggest cheer of the afternoon at White Hart Lane, where the regulars are desperate for him to succeed.
Janssen said: “I know and I must admit it does surprise me. If I was at another club I’d probably be getting slaughtered. But it’s not like that here.
“The manager, staff, the players and even the fans realise sometimes it takes time for a player to settle at a new club in a new country.
“They can also see I am working hard and want to put it right. I can feel their love and support and I truly appreciate it, especially the fans.
“They could have turned and they haven’t. They still cheer me on and sing my name. I feel very humbled. Maybe that is why I am so confident it will come good.”
VINCENT JANSSEN was speaking at an event on behalf of Kumho Tyre, Official Tyre Partner of Tottenham Hotspur.