Spurs may regret 2021 sale who’s now wanted at Barcelona

Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the Premier League‘s most active outfits in the transfer market since chairman Daniel Levy took a punt and anointed Ange Postecoglou during the off-season, with hopes high that several years of inconsistency might come to an end.

Sure, Spurs have not lifted silver since 2008, way back when Juande Ramos inherited a struggling side and failed to make it click, albeit defeating Chelsea in the League Cup final, but there has been plenty of promise to have elicited cheer from a devoting fanbase.

Unfortunately, Tottenham have not truly clicked together to build from the cobbles of this providential era, with the balmy days of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign now firmly in the past and the years since resulting in four managerial dismissals in as many campaigns, culminating with Antonio Conte’s sacking last March.

Postecoglou’s bold, forward-thinking system and the easy-on-the-eye connection that his players continue to nurture enabled an impressive run of early-season form that had fans dreaming of title contention, and while such lofty ambitions appear out of reach now – largely down to impacted form stemming from a catalogue of injuries and suspensions – the talent and potential is clear.

Of course, the Australian gaffer has had to shovel out much deadwood so far, with the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Tanguy Ndombele and Eric Dier all departing after it was made clear they were not included in his long-term vision.

One former ace to have been shipped away much like these fringe players might not have actually found himself being cut, having risen to prominence since moving away from north London.

The man in question is Juan Foyth, who arrived at Tottenham from his Argentinian homeland several years before Postecoglou’s appointment with the tag of a talented youngster bearing much promise.

How much Spurs paid to sign Foyth

The versatile defender joined from Estudiantes, at age 19, on a £9m transfer fee in 2019 and was considered an exciting ball-playing prospect with natural ability across the backline, also competent in holding midfield when called upon.

He arrived alongside other talented hopefuls including aforementioned flop Sanchez and Serge Aurier, and while the club’s talented crop had been augmented with further quality, the wait for silverware rages on and the likes of Foyth ply their trade elsewhere, having failed to make their mark with conviction and lingering fond memory.

How Juan Foyth performed at Spurs

Foyth certainly left much to be desired after a chastening Premier League debut, conceding two penalties against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This actually occurred during his second season in London, having been left on the bench on 16 occasions throughout the 2017/18 term but not once entrusted with a single minute of action.

Injuries, regrettably, shackled him to mediocrity during his time at the club, hardly aided by a period of tumult and upheaval that saw managers regularly change in the dugout, damaging his chances of finding form and confidence as an up-and-coming player.

As such, Foyth would make only 32 senior appearances for Tottenham across his three years in the squad, and with Levy and the club’s bosses concluding that his fringe role was only hampering his chances of forging a successful career, he was loaned out to Spain in 2020, joining Villarreal.

Why Barcelona want to sign Foyth

After fruitful beginnings in La Liga, Villarreal opted to complete the permanent acquisition of Foyth’s signature in 2021, with the sale believed to have generated around £13m for the resurgence-seeking Lilywhites.

The 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina – Foyth played only one match during his nation’s triumph in Qatar, though this is a testament to his rise since leaving Tottenham – has now cemented himself as a valuable starting member of the Yellow Submarine’s project, having amassed 116 appearances thus far while defeating Manchester United in the 2020/21 Europa League final.

This season, the 26-year-old has only played 12 times in the Spanish top-flight due to injury but has impressed from his primarily right-back role, completing 83% of his passes, averaging 4.8 ball recoveries, 3.5 clearances and 2.2 tackles per game while winning 56% of his duels and succeeding with a whopping 77% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.

Is there perhaps a sense of regret down at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? Pedro Porro is doing fine work on the right side of Tottenham’s backline, while Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven’s abilities have meshed together to make as fine a centre-back partnership as many this season, but a lack of depth has been apparent and it might just be that Foyth’s services were relinquished prematurely.

As per FBref, the dynamic defender sits in the top 10% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 16% for successful take-ons, the top 8% for tackles, the top 15% for blocks, the top 10% for clearances and the top 4% for aerial duels won per 90.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Foyth is evidently strong, athletic and intelligent, boasting that almost ineffable sense of fortitude that only blossoms from players who have endured much adversity through the early phase of their professional careers.

Such qualities, evenly spread and attractively numerous, have welcomed interest from Barcelona this season, with Xavi’s struggling La Liga champions reportedly understood to have been targeting the Argentine last summer, though nothing materialised after Villarreal demanded €42m (£36m) for his departure.

Remarkably, that happens to be more than Heung-min Son’s current valuation of just £26m, as per CIES Football Observatory, with his market estimation no doubt rather small considering his contract ends in the summer of 2025.

Nonetheless, this highlights the noteworthy career that Foyth is making for himself, a European trophy winner – prevailing against the Red Devils no less – and an option for prestigious outfits such as Barcelona.

Tottenham are searching for lasting success under Postecoglou’s leadership and will hope to follow up European qualification this season with success across multiple fronts next year.

Perhaps Foyth should have been handed more of a platform, he would have been an excellent option to enhance Spurs’ backline.