Lille turned down move for Tottenham flop Vincent Janssen due to doubts over technique

Sidelined: Janssen has struggled to establish himself at Tottenham since his £17m move
Tottenham Hotspur FC
James Benge7 September 2017

French club Lille turned down the chance to sign Vincent Janssen because their manager Marcelo Bielsa had doubts over the Tottenham striker’s technique.

Janssen was made available by Spurs in the final days of the transfer window and is likely to see even fewer first-team opportunities after the deadline day acquisition of Spanish forward Fernando Llorente from Swansea.

West Brom were among the clubs who considered a move for the 23-year-old, who joined Spurs for £17million last summer, but Lille owner Gerard Lopez revealed that his manager was not convinced by Janssen.

“I offered Marcelo the chance of bringing in experienced players, he didn’t want them,” Lopez told SFR Sport. “We offered him[Wilfried] Bony, for example. He wanted a group that corresponded to his needs.

“He wanted a group he had chosen with [sporting director] Luis Campos. Janssen? Technically, his style of play didn’t fit into the project Marcelo wants to create.”

Janssen was not included in Tottenham’s Champions League squad when it was announced on Monday, with long-term injury absentee Erik Lamela the only other senior absentee from the 25-man group.

However Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino insists that Janssen’s Tottenham career is not over.

"Yes of course [he has a future]. The next question is why he is not in Champions League squad. That is about numbers," Pochettino said.

"We only have 17 places [with eight home-grown players required in the selection]. We are 19, so him and Lamela we decided [to leave out].

“But in January we check again to see if we change the names in the squad. But, yes, he has a future like other players here.”

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