Juan Foyth opens up on always being ‘grateful’ to Tottenham and Pochettino

Juan Foyth has admitted that he will always be grateful to Tottenham Hotspur for helping to launch his career in European football.

Foyth arrived at Spurs from Estudiantes in the summer of 2017 and while he did not get much of a look in during his first season in North London, the Argentine showed real promise in the opportunities that came his way in the 2018-19 season.

He then followed that up with impressive performances in the Copa America and would have been hoping to make a real mark in N17 during the subsequent campaign.

However, the 23-year-old saw himself fall down the pecking order after Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino at the helm.

Foyth demonstrated his versatility during a season-long loan spell at Villarreal last campaign and it did not come as much of a surprise when the La Liga club activated the option to sign him permanently.

Despite the way things ended for the defender at Spurs, he insisted that he holds no grudges against his former club.

The Argentina international also credited his compatriot Mauricio Pochettino with helping him to mature as a defender.

Foyth was part if the Villarreal side which lost in the UEFA Super Cup to Chelsea on penalties on Wednesday evening.

He told The Times: “I will be grateful to Tottenham for the rest of my life because they brought me to Europe.

“But when I lost continuity, I had the conviction that the best thing for me was to look for a way out to keep growing. Villarreal opened the doors.

“Pochettino was a school of life. I learnt a lot during that time. I improved with every training session with him.

“He is a detailed coach, and on a personal level I cannot fault him at all.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I suspect, in years to come, we might look back on the decision to move Foyth on with a lot of regrets. Unfortunatel6, the club did not have much choice as Mourinho did not seem to rate him.

I have no doubt that the 23-year-old would have an important part to play (potentially as a right-back or part of a back three) if Nuno had him at Spurs.

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