Spanish press heap praise on star Tottenham let walk away in summer

Juan Foyth goes head to head with Vinicius Junior

Tottenham could be left rueing the one that got away after Spanish press heaped praise on a former defender over the weekend.

Juan Foyth has been earning plenty of plaudits for his performances at Villarreal, after he completed a permanent move to the LaLiga outfit over the summer. The Argentina international spent last season on loan with the ‘Yellow Submarine’ and did enough to earn a permanent £20million switch.

And it appears that the 23-year-old is going from strength to strength in Spain. That was evidenced by his excellent performance in the 0-0 draw at Real Madrid on Saturday.

Spanish publication, AS, ran the headline ‘Foyth kept Vinicius at bay’ after the former Spurs man stood out at the Bernabeau.

The paper reported that Foyth’s ‘commitment is total’ and that he showcased a variety of skills to keep Vinicius out of the game.

He was also regarded as the most highly-rated performer on the pitch. That is certainly going some, given the talent that was on display.

Foyth was signed by Tottenham back in 2017 after Mauricio Pochettino convinced his fellow countryman to head to north London and snub PSG interest.

However, things did not go to plan for the defender, who was mainly used as a centre-back at Spurs.

Villarreal decided to use Foyth in his less preferred right-back role to great success. The LaLiga side then decided to exercise their option to complete a permanent transfer and Foyth has not looked back since.

As for Tottenham, they started the new campaign with three clean sheets. However, they have lost their last three league games, conceding nine times in the process thanks to some woeful defending.

Having a player of Foyth’s improved quality around may have just helped stem the tide.


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Mourinho ready to move for Tottenham maverick

Meanwhile, Roma boss Jose Mourinho could raid Tottenham for one of the players who has not coped well since his departure, according to reports in Italy.

Tottenham sacked Mourinho in April and eventually replaced him with Nuno Espirito Santo. Somewhat surprisingly, the Special One then took up the job at Roma. It marked his return to Italian football after a previous successful spell with Inter Milan.

After assessing his newly inherited squad, the ex-Spurs boss quickly realised he needed a new midfielder. Granit Xhaka of Arsenal was his top target, but Roma refused to meet the asking price. Ultimately, they could not find a worthwhile alternative.

Tottenham pair Lucas Moura and Tanguy Ndombele warming up 2021

Mourinho is still looking for a midfielder and will return to the market in January. In doing so, he could cast his gaze back towards north London – this time to his former employers at Tottenham.

According to Calciomercato, there is a chance that Roma could pursue Tanguy Ndombele in the winter.

Ndombele was frozen out by Nuno in pre-season and seemed destined to leave in the summer. He remains at Spurs’ disposal though and now has four appearances to his name this season.

Even so, his long-term future remains in doubt. He is still linked with a move away, with clubs such as Juventus and even Manchester United linked.

But Calciomercato believe Mourinho’s Roma could provide a somewhat surprising solution

In fairness, Ndombele’s best run of form at Tottenham came in the months prior to Mourinho’s dismissal. But it is debatable whether he is exactly the profile of midfielder the Italians are looking for.

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