Sold in 2021, now worth more than Son: Spurs lost heroic star who is wanted at Barca

With great expectations that many years of inconsistency may come to an end, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy took a gamble and named Ange Postecoglou during the off-season. Since then, the team has been among the Premier League’s most active in the transfer market.

Even though Spurs defeated Chelsea in the League Cup final in 2008, when Juande Ramos took over a faltering team and tried to turn things around, the team has shown a lot of potential and has inspired a passionate fan base.

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

Fans were dreaming of title contention during an impressive run of form in the early part of the season thanks to Postecoglou’s bold, forward-thinking system and the easy-to-watch connection that his players continued to foster. Although such high goals now seem unattainable due to a string of injuries and suspensions that have negatively impacted form, the talent and potential is still there.

Naturally, the Australian gaffer has already had to fire a number of underperforming players. Davinson Sanchez, Tanguy Ndombele, and Eric Dier, for example, all left when it became apparent that they were not part of his long-term plan.

After leaving north London, one former ace who was sent out, much like these periphery players, may not have really been cut after becoming well-known.

The individual in issue is Juan Foyth, who joined Tottenham from his native Argentina a few years prior to Postecoglou’s employment, having been regarded as a gifted young player with great potential.

The sum that Spurs spent to acquire Foyth
The adaptable defender, who cost £9 million to acquire from Estudiantes in 2019, was seen as a promising ball-player with natural skill across the backline and the capacity to hold midfield when needed.

Alongside him were other gifted aspirants, such as the previously mentioned failure Sanchez and Serge Aurier. Although the club’s already impressive group of players had gained additional quality, the wait for a trophy continues, and players like Foyth now play elsewhere after failing to leave a lasting impression and leave a happy memory.

Juan Foyth’s performance at Spurs was unsatisfactory after his humiliating Premier League debut in which he gave up two penalties against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This really happened in his second season in London, having been benched sixteen times in the 2017–18 campaign and never been given a minute of playing time.

Unfortunately, injuries held him back from greatness throughout his tenure at the club, and an unstable and turbulent era marked by frequent manager turnover in the dugout did nothing to help him. This hurt his prospects of developing into a confident and successful player.

As a result, over his three years in the team, Foyth would only make 32 senior appearances for Tottenham. Levy and the club’s management felt that Foyth’s supporting position was only impeding his ability to have a successful career, therefore in 2020, he was loaned out to Villarreal in Spain.

Why Foyth is wanted by Barcelona
Following successful starts in La Liga, Villarreal decided to finalize Foyth’s permanent signing in 2021; the Lilywhites’ bid for a comeback is estimated to have brought in around £13 million from the transfer.

With 116 appearances so far and a victory over Manchester United in the 2020–21 Europa League final, Foyth, the 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina (he played just one game during his country’s victory in Qatar, though this is a testament to his rise since leaving Tottenham), has solidified his position as a crucial starting member of the Yellow Submarine’s project.

The 26-year-old has only made 12 appearances in the Spanish top division this season due to injury, but he has made an impression in his primary role of right back, where he has completed 83% of his passes, averaged 4.8 ball recoveries, 3.5 clearances, and 2.2 tackles per game, won 56% of his duels, and successfully completed 77% of his dribbles, according to Sofascore.

Does anybody down at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium harbor any regrets? Although Pedro Porro is playing well on the right side of Tottenham’s defense and Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have formed one of the best center-back combinations of the season, there seems to be a lack of depth in the team, and it’s possible that Foyth’s services were given up too soon.

According to FBref, the dynamic defender ranks in the top 4% for aerial duels won per 90, the top 8% for tackles, the top 15% for blocks, the top 10% for clearances, and the top 10% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion over the previous year.

At six feet three, Foyth exudes strength, athleticism, and intelligence. He also has an almost indescribable sense of tenacity, which is only shown by players who have faced significant hardship in their early professional careers.

Barcelona has shown interest in Xavi this season due to his evenly distributed and attractively numerous qualities. It is believed that the struggling La Liga champions were considering signing the Argentine last summer, but nothing came of their demands after Villarreal demanded €42 million (£36 million) for his departure.

That is surprisingly higher than Heung-min Son’s current market value, which is just £26 million according to CIES Football Observatory. Heung-min Son’s contract expires in the summer of 2025, therefore his market value is probably rather low.

However, this underscores the remarkable career that Foyth is carving out for himself as a European trophy winner—beating the Red Devils no less—and a choice for elite teams like Barcelona.

Under Postecoglou’s direction, Tottenham is looking for long-term success, and they want to build on their season-long European qualifying with multi-frontal success the following year.

Though Foyth would have been a great addition to Spurs’ backline, maybe he should have been given more of a platform.

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