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Four players who gave up the adjective "prolific" after swapping the Netherlands for the Premier League

As the North London derby approaches, Tottenham will be glad to see Harry Kane returning after an...



Four players who gave up the a...
Soccer

Four players who gave up the adjective "prolific" after swapping the Netherlands for the Premier League

As the North London derby approaches, Tottenham will be glad to see Harry Kane returning after an injury lay-off.

In his absence, Vincent Janssen has yet to fully take flight on the goalscoring charts.

The Dutch international striker scored his first Premier League goal from the penalty spot against Leicester City to follow up two goals in the EFL Cup.

But for a Spurs side with title aspirations, it's Premier League goals that really matter.

With concerns over the 22-year-old's form since signing from AZ Alkmaar in the summer, there has already been premature talk about him following in the footsteps of other strikers who were not able to score consistently once they left the Netherlands for English top flight action.

With 31 goals last season and a very healthy goalsoring record prior to that, Janssen should be given every chance to try and fulfil his potential before being written off.

But if he doesn't make it at Tottenham, he wouldn't be the first prolific Eredivisie forward to not be able to convert their potency when they move to England, unlike positive examples like Ruud van Nistelrooy.

One must keep in mind that the Eredivisie is not a defensive league and quite average beyond the top five to six clubs.

 Alfonso Alves

Possibly the most notorious example of an Eredivise to Premier League goalscoring flop. 

Between 2006 and 2008, the Brazilian scored 37 goals in 38 games in all competitions for Heerenveen.

Indeed, when it came to form in the Dutch league, he scored more goals than he played in.

In January 2008, Middlesbrough came in for him for a hefty €20 million fee which he never came close to repaying.

Across two Premier League seasons, only 10 goals would follow for Boro before he finished his career in the lucrative Middle East.

To make things worse, Middlesbrough were relegated to the Championship at the end of his final season.

Mateja Kezman

The Serbian was a goal machine during his time at PSV Eindhoven between 2000 and 2004, with 105 league goals scored across four campaigns.

His final season at the Dutch club yielded 38 goals in all competitions as he became too big for PSV.

Unfortunately, he made the move to a Chelsea that were in the early stages of the Roman Abramovich revolution and spending freely.

Never first choice at Stamford Bridge, he lasted one season with the Blues, with seven goals in 41 matches in all competitions.

Only once did he play a full 90 minutes in the league as Didier Drogba and Eidur Gudjohsen were the preferred forward options under Jose Mourinho that campaign. 

The now retired 37-year-old left for Atletico Madrid in 2005 to begin a nomadic end to his career. 

Chelsea's Mateja Kezman (C) celebrates with team-mates Arjen Robben (L) and John Terry after scoring against Crystal Palace in March 2005. Picture by Matthew Fearn PA Archive/PA Images

 Dirk Kuyt

Let's be very clear about the 104-time Netherlands cap. He was never a flop at Liverpool. But his goalscoring was not as important a facet when he moved from Feyenoord to Anfield in 2006.

Previously, Kuyt had hit at least 20 goals in each of his four final seasons in the Eredivisie.

At Liverpool, he scored 12 in the Premier League in his first season, which is very healthy. No complaints there. But he wouldn't become consistent in that regard especially with Fernando Torres as the standout lone centre-forward during his time there.

Kuyt's league goals for the next five seasons would read: 3, 12, 9, 13 and 2, while playing in at least 30 league matches in every one of those seasons.

But one must note that his role changed somewhat once he linked up with Rafa Benitez.

The man who is back at Feyenoord for a golden end to his career played on the right flank as a hard-working winger predominantly during his time at Liverpool, whereas he played more centrally in Rotterdam during his first spell at Feyenood. So that played a significant role in his inability to become a 20-goal-a-season performer in the Premier League.

Thus his inclusion on this list definitely carries an asterisk.

 Jozy Altidore

The USA international striker is back on the goal trail with MLS franchise Toronto FC.

But at Sunderland, he couldn't buy a goal between 2013 and 2015.

In that time, the forward could only score three times in 52 appearances for the Black Cats.

The 26-year-old was also not-so-fondly remembered for a miss against West Ham when he swung at the ball with his foot but pretty much landed on it with his backside - the goal gaping all the while.

It wasn't the only chance he didn't convert, although the ball did come back at him quickly against Cardiff:

It was a sore disappointment for Sunderland as he had arrived from AZ Alkmaar fresh from two prolific seasons.

The 2012-13 campaign in particular saw Altidore plunder 31 goals in 42 games across league and cup.

He had been in the Premier League on loan in 2009-10 however when he delivered one league goal in almost 30 matches for Hull City.

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