Tottenham’s signing of Vincent Janssen never worked out.
The Dutch striker moved to the club in 2016, with the club forking out £17m to secure his signature.
He had been in electric form in the Netherlands, scoring 27 league goals in Holland before his move, while also scoring on his international debut against England.
He was brought in as a potential back-up and partner to first-choice forward Harry Kane, but things did not go to plan.
Janssen ultimately scored six goals in 42 outings for Spurs, though just two came in the Premier League.
He was subsequently loaned to Fenerbahce in Turkey before sealing a permanent move to Mexican side Monterrey in 2019.
He has now opened up on the switch to north London, insisting that, while he enjoyed his spell at White Hart Lane, he knows it came too early in a fledgling career.
Speaking to Voetbal Zone, via Sport Witness, he said: “Tottenham was standing at the door and to say ‘no’ to that as a 21-year-old is hard.
“In retrospect, the step might have been too big, but staying in the Netherlands wouldn’t have been possible because the top Dutch clubs couldn’t meet the transfer fee.
“In the end, I played quite a lot in my first season in the Premier League, and of course I should have played more, but I went from Almere City to Tottenham in eleven months.
“There I was alone on the pitch among all those big names. For the first time, I had to deal with setbacks, and those are all things that are quite difficult for a young boy.”
He added: “I also just had a great time at Tottenham. I only had to play football, and it was also not a great success at Fenerbahçe, so then you look further to see what suits you and what feels good.”
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
This is a really honest assessment from Janssen.
He will go down in history as one of the worst signings in the club’s history but he seems to know that things did not go to plan.
As it was, Spurs were bringing in a player in red-hot form and fresh from a prolific season in the Netherlands.
But he has owned the fact that it did not go well, and remains upbeat on his spell at the club.
That is only likely to win him friends, rather than alienating them.