Tottenham tried to force out Vincent Janssen on deadline day

Tottenham Hotspur tried to force misfiring forward Vincent Janssen out of the club on transfer deadline day but mooted moves to West Bromwich Albion and Brighton and Hove Albion failed to materialise, according to reports from Holland.

Janssen has failed to light the blue touch paper since joining Spurs from AZ Alkmaar last summer and was not included in his side's Champions League squad by Mauricio Pochettino, who does not think the 23-year-old is capable of spearheading Tottenham's attack.

The former Southampton boss saw fit to draft in Fernando Llorente from Swansea City on deadline day, and the Spaniard's arrival allowed Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to try and push through a transfer for Janssen "with all violence", according to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, who claim that the north Londoners will attempt to make him "so sad that he will have to choose a transfer to save his career" in January.

Janssen led the line for Holland as they were comprehensively beaten by France 4-0 at the Stade de France on Thursday (31 August), but his mind may have been on other matters that night as Levy attempted to resolve his future.

The former Almere City hitman looked likely to join West Bromwich Albion for around £23m at one stage but eventually decided against a move to the Hawthorns. He also saw fit to reject a late loan move to Brighton, even though the Tottenham hierarchy made him aware that he had no chance of breaking into the first-team under Pochettino, who does not see the Dutchman as a first-choice option or even a viable back-up for Harry Kane.

Janssen did seem open to leaving Tottenham during the summer but was understandably reluctant to make a quick-fire decision over his future in the final hours of the transfer window. The former Feyenoord academy star made 36 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhites last season but was only afforded 13 starts, scoring six times.