Juan Foyth has changed Tottenham’s transfer plans
Tottenham have significant work to do in the January transfer window, but Juan Foyth’s emergence has taken centre back off Spurs’ shopping list.
Juan Foyth isn’t ready to step into a meaningful Champions League starting XI, but he’s not as far away as Tottenham thought several weeks ago. In fact, the Argentine’s recent emergence will likely change the club’s plans heading into the upcoming transfer window.
The continued uncertainty about Toby Alderweireld’s future with the club could have easily forced Mauricio Pochettino and company to buy a central defender in January. At the beginning of October, it seemed that any departure by the talented Belgian would leave Spurs short of cover in central defence.
Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen are more than capable of forming a solid partnership, but you can’t go through a grueling Premier League campaign with just two healthy centre backs. That’s what makes the recent arrival of Foyth onto the scene so important for the club.
The ideal scenario is obviously to keep all four centre backs in North London for the long haul. Both Alderweireld and Vertonghen are starting to enter the end of their prime footballing years, but each still has several good seasons left in him. Sanchez, on the other hand, is just entering the mature phase of his career.
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It’s now distinctly possible that Sanchez and Foyth can be counted on as Pochettino’s centre back pairing of the future. That’s a big leap from where the young Argentine entered the season. He was absolutely on the fringes of Pochettino’s squad until very recently.
It’s unclear whether Pochettino handed Foyth meaningful match time due to necessity or as a result of his quality play in training, but it’s worked out for everyone involved. Despite giving up two penalties against Wolves, it’s obvious that Foyth has the talent to become an excellent Premier League centre back.
Frankly, he reminds us a lot of young John Stones at this point in his career. He’s still far too error prone to trust fully, but his skill and nerve on the ball is terrific to watch. His brash willingness to play the ball out of the back may get him into trouble upon occasion, but it’s a confidence Pochettino clearly admires.
Next. Foyth and Winks could anchor Tottenham's future midfield. dark
The end result is that Tottenham will likely bow out gracefully from the race to sign big-money defenders like Matthijs de Ligt in January or in the summer. Spurs did their shopping early on Foyth and it looks like it’s going to pay off.