Vincent Janssen joins Fenerbahce from Tottenham on season’s loan

Vincent Janssen has completed a season-long loan to Fenerbahce. Tottenham Hotspur have been open to moving on the striker after his underwhelming debut season last time out and the transfer deadline day signing of Fernando Llorente from Swansea City.

Janssen turned down a loan to Brighton & Hove Albion last Thursday, just before the deadline in England, but the Turkish window remains open until tonight, which allowed Fenerbahce to make their bid. Janssen flew to Istanbul on Friday morning, before a medical at the club. The paperwork has still to be signed off.

Fenerbahce took the former Tottenham misfit Roberto Soldado last month and they also have Robin van Persie, formerly of Arsenal and Manchester United, as an option up front. Van Persie is out with a knee problem. This week he denied claims that the injury would end his career. He has described it as “minor” and as having a recovery time of three weeks.

Janssen, the Holland No9, joined Tottenham from AZ Alkmaar last summer in a £17m deal but, like Soldado before him at White Hart Lane, he struggled for goals in open play. He scored six times for the club in all competitions, with four of them being penalties.

The writing was on the wall for him when Mauricio Pochettino signed Llorente for £12m and the manager then omitted Janssen from the Champions League squad that he submitted to Uefa.

Fenerbahce said in a statement: “Our club, in principle, has agreed with the player himself and his club on the loan of the Dutch national team striker Vincent Janssen from the Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur. The 23-year-old striker will arrive at Istanbul Atatürk Airport at 12:30 today and negotiations will continue in Istanbul.”