Tottenham starlet can become the next John Stones

Tottenham have an immense talent on their hands. Juan Foyth has the talent to become the next John Stones if Spurs are patient with his development.

Juan Foyth scored Tottenham’s loan goal at Crystal Palace this weekend, but his talents don’t lie on the offensive end of the pitch. Instead, the young Argentine profiles as a potential world-class central defender. In fact, he has the talent to become the next John Stones.

That’s certainly a bold statement. Stones has blossomed into one of the world’s best centre backs under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. In many ways he’s done so by eschewing the way most of his countryman play the position. Stones plays in central defense with a flair and creativity on the ball that can drive some managers insane.

Foyth shows the same sort of panache and willingness to take risks with the ball at his feet. His forays forward with the ball have the potential to put his team in danger. That’s something Mauricio Pochettino is keenly aware of. The Argentine manager has also gone to great lengths not to suppress Foyth’s creativity and confidence this season.

After all, it wasn’t so long ago that some fans thought Stones would never make it as a quality Premier League defender. The sheer volume of individual errors he made during his Everton days made his move to City fairly controversial. Everyone could see his obvious talent, but there were real questions over whether or not he could ever harness it enough to be a solid defender.

There are similar questions about Foyth’s game at the moment. Conceding two penalties at Wolves earlier this season didn’t quell anyone’s concerns. Emotionally fragile prospects might have shrunk from the spotlight after such a nightmare half of football.

Foyth certainly didn’t. He was as adventurous as ever on Saturday at Selhurst Park. He didn’t create Spurs’ lone goal with anything fancy, but he was quick to dribble the ball past attackers whenever he got the chance. That sort of mentality and skill give him a chance to become a great player.

The key, of course, will be for Pochettino and company to carefully manage his growth curve for the foreseeable future. He’ll obviously want to play every week, but that’s not going to happen for him this year. He only got the start at Palace due to a late injury to Davinson Sanchez. Presumably, Spurs will go back to their normal tandem of Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld once they return from International Break.

That might be the best thing to happen for Foyth. Handing him too much responsibility too soon could force him to suffer under the stress of the limelight as Stones did before him. That’s not the best way for him to develop. Instead, slow and sure is the way Tottenham can win this race. If they play their cards right, Foyth could become one of the best central defenders in Europe.