Tottenham Hotspur's bid to sign AZ Alkmaar striker Vincent Janssen is being bizarrely held up by the brainchild of ‘Moneyball’ Billy Beane.

The Dutch club have rejected a £15million offer from Spurs for Janssen on the recommendation of Beane, who has calculated the 22-year-old is worth £16.5m. Beane became famous for his success in applying statistical analysis to baseball, although his theories are yet to make a similar impact in football.

Despite the fact football clubs that have adopted Beane’s approach have run into difficulties, AZ hired the 54-year-old American as an advisor in March last year.