Report: Juan Foyth wants January transfer if playing time at Tottenham doesn’t increase

Juan Foyth was bought by his fellow Argentine, Mauricio Pochettino, but Pochettino is no longer the manager at Tottenham.

Jose Mourinho is in charge at Spurs now, and things are still in a state of flux in terms of what the new boss’ preferred lineups are. Foyth just played a full 90 minutes against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but it was in a game that didn’t mean much.

According to a report from The Athletic, the young defender would like a transfer in January if he isn’t going to be seeing significant playing time.

Foyth was one of Spurs’ best performers on Wednesday night, but The Athletic can reveal the 21-year-old defender Foyth would prefer a move in January if he continues to struggle for game time. With four matches before the end of the year, the situation could yet change but for the moment, Foyth feels he needs to be playing — especially with a Copa America coming up next summer, co-hosted by his native Argentina. He would consider both staying in the Premier League or moving abroad, and the club have not yet spoken to him about his future.

Injuries have played their part, but Foyth has been used sparingly this season even when he has been healthy. He’s made three appearances in the Champions League while his only opportunities in the Premier League have been two brief cameos off the bench.

Meanwhile, he has featured quite a bit recently for Argentina’s senior national team.

It’s not that Foyth hasn’t impressed during his time at Spurs. He’s only 21-years-old, and he’s shown promise and room for growth on a few occasions. But there can sometimes be a weird dynamic when a new manager comes into a club and starts working with players who the old manager only recently signed. Spurs also have a crowded squad that’s full of talented players with more experience than Foyth has.

In this case, Foyth was pursued/discovered by Pochettino because of their shared nationality. The two South Americans had developed a strong relationship, so it’s understandable that, as a young player in a foreign country, he is now having concerns about his situation.

Foyth arrived at the club from Estudiantes, for a fee of around £8 million, back in August of 2017. He is part of a sizable group of Argentine players at Tottenham that also includes Erik Lamela, Paulo Gazzaniga, and Giovani Lo Celso.

Spurs kind of need Foyth for depth purposes right now, both at center back and at right back, and it doesn’t look like too many reinforcements will be arriving in the January transfer window. If this issue can’t be smoothed out by a conversation between Mourinho and Foyth, a loan could be a possibility.