A former Tottenham Hotspur striker is earning comparisons with Premier League icon and England captain Harry Kane these days.
And not because of his goalscoring.
While Harry Kane has 10 already from just nine Bayern Munich appearances, his former Tottenham Hotspur team-mate has found the net just three times in the opening few months of the current campaign.
But with his tally of assists outweighing his goals’ return – five assists to three goals – Vincent Janssen is taking to his new role like the proverbial duck to water.
The manner in which Janssen set up Tjaron Chery’s finish during Royal Antwerp’s 3-0 triumph over Cercle Brugge last weekend was right out of the Harry Kane playbook. Dropping deep and outmuscling a defender off the ball, Janssen then fed a well-placed pass in behind the Cercle Brugge backline for Chery to run onto.
The former Spurs flop then pulled into more of an advanced midfield role again before laying the ball off for Jacob Ondrejka to lash home Royal Antwerp’s third of the afternoon.
Vincent Janssen channelling Tottenham Hotspur legend Harry Kane
“The assists for Janssen are particularly striking,” former Jupiler League glovesman Frank Boeckx, who now works as a goalkeeping coach for Anderlecht, tells Sporza.
“I don’t think he’s the most clinical finisher this year, but he actually plays more like a number 10. He did that last year too, but now he’s the only one up front.
“He’s actually approaching things like Harry Kane is.”
Janssen flopped badly in North London.
During 31 Premier League appearances, the luckless Dutchman hit the target just twice. Janssen departed Tottenham just £6 million back in 2019, too, Spurs taking a massive financial hit on a player who arrived in the English capital after winning the Eredivisie’s Golden Boot with AZ Alkmaar.
Five years on, Janssen has carved out a pretty respectable career, putting that dismal Spurs spell firmly behind him after escaping the glare of the media spotlight.
The striker scored 38 goals in his first two seasons at Royal Antwerp, helping to end their long wait for a Belgium title alongside former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld.
But while his return has taken a dip this term, Janssen is adding another string to his bow to ensure that, even as his off-days in front of goal continue, he can still contribute to a team sitting just three points off the top of the table.
Belgium legend Franky van der Elst is keen to see Janssen return to doing what he does best, however.
Kane came in for plenty of criticism during England’s Euro 2024 campaign with some feeling that he did far too much of his work outside of the penalty area. Van der Elst is warning Janssen against doing the same.
“He should not look for that [number ten] role too much,” argues Van der Elst, who earned 86 Rote Duivels caps in the 1980s and 1990s. “Last season, that didn’t work anymore when he looked for it too much.
“He really has to function from the striker.”
Janssen explains Harry Kane role in his difficult Spurs spell
Janssen, by his own admission, ‘struggled’ due to the competition posed by a rapidly-improving Kane during his short-lived spell at Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino.
“I can talk about it now because I have nothing but praise for Harry,” Janssen told reporters in 2023. “But, at the time, I struggled to cope with his presence. It just wasn’t fun for me to be on the training ground with Harry and do finishing sessions.
“He was my big rival for the position of striker. And, when I faced up to it, there was not really much I could do against a geezer like him. I just knew he was so incredibly brilliant.
“When I look back now, I realise I should have studied him and should have learnt much more. But I was frustrated and I was not able to turn the switch in my head.”