Vincent Janssen: “There was an immediate click” with Mauricio Pochettino

The buzz about Tottenham Hotspur’s signing of Vincent Janssen continues to grow, as does the understanding that Spurs really was the only club where he wanted to go. After the club’s announcement that he had signed a four year deal, Janssen gave an interview with Dutch paper De Telegraaf where he expounded on his delight over joining Spurs and noted that manager Mauricio Pochettino was a key reason he wanted to come to North London.

"After the tour of the training ground and [White Hart Lane], I knew for sure that this is a fantastic club. The conversation with the coach was perfect as there was an immediate bond. He was clearly into the game and how he sees my future.”

Janssen is already an accomplished striker in the Eredivisie, but was signed to Tottenham Hotspur ostensibly as a back-up and rotation option to Harry Kane. Janssen briefly addressed this, and suggested that he’s happy with his current place in the team.

“Of course I want to play football. But I will need time to adapt. Yet I know there will be plenty of minutes. With the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, Spurs will play a lot games. And I'm going to enjoy all the playing time I get.”

Janssen comes from a family of high-profile athletes – his mother was World Championship-winning swimmer – and he has talked about his drive and work ethic to improve his play and become the best player he can be, something that no doubt appealed to Pochettino.

“I sometimes train extra till four or five o’clock at the gym if I feel that I have to do something extra. You have players who will only do what the coaches ask from them and then go home. Football has become more physical, which the Dutch teams noticed in recent years in Europe. You have to be strong if you want to have a chance against defenders of international clubs.

“I will never do fun tricks, I just want to score that goal. I’m always looking for it. More in [Luis] Suárez-style than Neymar-style, you could say.”