Tottenham Hotspur could be set to make an unnecessarily risky signing, to throw what has been a summer of intelligent spending into jeopardy.
Who are Tottenham Hotspur signing this summer?
With loan deals for Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski now made permanent, and Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison and Manor Solomon bolstering alternative positions to provide added depth, this has been a fruitful window thus far with which few fans could find issues with.
However, the persisting links with a swoop for Feyenoord striker Santiago Jimenez could provide a worry, given how unpredictable the Eredivisie exports have proven to be over the years. Especially considering the mouth-watering €40m (£35m) that is set to be offered, in an effort to tempt their top scorer from last campaign to depart.
For every Ruud van Nistelrooy there has been a Memphis Depay, and for every Luis Suarez a Davy Klaasen. However, when it comes to failed signings from the Netherlands, few stand out as much as Vincent Janssen.
Unfortunately for chairman Daniel Levy, this deal has all the hallmarks of a depressing replication of failures of the past.
How many goals did Santiago Jimenez score last season?
Whilst the Mexico international has enjoyed a true breakout year, the 20-year-old remains an unproven asset far from meriting such a lofty price tag.
Especially considering the similarities the move in question shares with Janssen's 2016 deal, who joined for £18.6m in a deal that is still remembered as one of the club's worst.
During a summer of transition, as they sought to take the next step from a third-placed Premier League finish, the Dutch marksman was seen as the answer to rival Harry Kane, propelling one another to greatness.
After all, he had just scored 27 Eredivisie goals, making it 32 in all competitions alongside a further seven assists. Despite this, he would fail miserably when faced with the challenges English football offered, notching only two league goals in his first season in north London.
He fared no better the year following either, failing during an injury-hit loan spell in Turkey before leaving permanently in 2019 for just £8m. He played just 42 times for the club and would score only six goals.
Now to compare that path with Jimenez, who too has enjoyed a stellar year as a youngster in the Netherlands, it would be expected that this cautionary tale would ward off Spurs of all clubs from making the same mistake.
He only managed 15 league goals for Feyenoord last term as they won the title, but across all competitions that rose to 28.
He remains fast, strong and lethal, with Dirk Kuyt even branding him "the best striker in the Eredivisie", supplementing the claims of Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, who suggested he was a: "complete forward."
However, Janssen too had earned a similar label when he first moved, with what followed nothing short of catastrophic. In fact, back in 2016, his national coach Danny Blind noted: "He just keeps adjusting to a higher level. I’m wondering where it ends, if this continues."
As Ange Postecoglou seeks to usher in a brighter future, the first thing he must avoid is walking into old pitfalls and potentially souring his relationship with the fans. Especially given how much credit they have given him after such a promising start to his reign.
Levy should certainly know better, and whilst the 22-year-old star might seem an attractive proposition now, the risk far outweighs the potential reward that Jimenez offers.
