Janssen’s football career was filled with highlights. The five-time Netherlands international won two league titles, a KNVB Cup, a Johan Cruyff Shield, and a Golden Shoe. But after 374 league matches, Janssen was ready to hang up his boots at the age of 33. “I was just done with it. My final years as a professional footballer felt like work, whereas before it always was a hobby. I had already been thinking for a few years about my life after football and what I would like to do.”
Janssen has now been head scout for nearly a year, a role he feels more comfortable in thanks to his experience as a football analyst and coach. “When I started as a scout in 2014, I eventually felt like I was too young, so I transitioned into coaching. I really enjoyed it, but due to circumstances, it came to an end. When this position became available, I seized the opportunity with both hands.”
“Nowadays, we use much more data compared to my first stint as a scout. Back then, everything had to be done with the naked eye, but now we have additional tools to make the job easier. Data shows which profiles are missing within the squad and filters players for us to scout.”
Challenging times at Vitesse
The scouting profession has evolved significantly with the use of data, but alongside this change, Vitesse has also undergone drastic financial and sporting transformations. “Of course, it’s tough to see my club in this position. Ultimately, we all see Vitesse as a club that belongs in the top half of the Eredivisie. Now, due to financial developments, we’re playing in the lower half of the KKD [the Second Division].”
“But when things go poorly, opportunities arise,” says Janssen. “With the technical team, including John van den Brom and Edward Sturing, we are working on a long-term vision. This involves discussions about playing style and player profiles.”
The limited financial resources bring their own set of challenges. “Last year, we were eager to secure certain players, such as Jonathans. Ideally, we would have offered him a contract last year, but due to the club’s problems and licensing issues, we couldn’t and weren’t allowed to do anything. And now we’re facing the consequences, with a player like that leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season. We have some great talents we’d love to lock in, but it’s not always possible due to financial constraints.”
“We can’t buy players, so we have to rely on a compelling story and a solid future plan,” Janssen explains. “But there are 14 other clubs in the KKD doing the same thing, facing the same challenges. So, we’re all fishing in the same pond.”
The joy of scouting
Despite the difficulties, Janssen still finds satisfaction in his work as a scout. “We look at a lot of players and create an enormous number of reports. But out of 10 players you scout, 9 end up in the bin because they’re not good enough or too expensive. When I manage to find the right mix for a team or see a player we’ve scouted adapt seamlessly, it brings me satisfaction. Take Angelos [Tsingaras], for example. There was some uncertainty about whether he’d adapt quickly and easily, but he settled in smoothly and has been doing incredibly well. It’s great that we managed to bring in a player like that. But I also enjoy seeing someone like Tom Bramel—a keeper who came up through our youth system, scouted internally, and is now excelling in the squad without costing us a penny. That’s perhaps just as rewarding, if not more so.”
Janssen doesn’t rule out a return to coaching in the future but is happy where he is now. “No, it’s not a closed chapter. It’s hard to predict the future; you never know what opportunities might arise, so I don’t rule anything out.”
