Why Bielsa must use his Pochettino connection to sign this 20-year-old Tottenham prodigy on loan

Why Leeds United should make a move for Juan Foyth in January

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is interested in signing Tottenham defender Juan Foyth on loan in January, claims Football.London.

The 20-year-old Argentine hasn’t exactly had the best start to his Tottenham career. Signed from Estudiantes in August 2017, Juan Foyth is yet to make a single Premier League appearance for the North Londoners.

The young centre-back has played just eight times in total for Spurs and the closest he’s come this season was making the bench for Spurs’ EFL Cup win over Watford. That has led to talk that Foyth could consider moving on in January if his situation doesn’t improve, adds the report.

Linked with a move to Leeds back in the summer, should Bielsa sign Foyth during the winter transfer window?

There were high hopes for Foyth when he arrived at Tottenham last summer, but the scripts have not gone according to the plan.

One can understand why Mauricio Pochettino kept hold of the centre-back in the summer as there was uncertainty about Toby Alderweireld’s future as the Belgian was constantly linked with a move away from the club.

Now that Alderweireld stayed put and has regained his place in the starting XI, Foyth has been overlooked throughout the season so far. Not to forget, Foyth picked up an injury during Spurs’ pre-season and did not feature at all in the International Champions Cup in the USA. In fact, the injury kept the 20-year-old out until late September.

Earlier this month, Foyth received a surprise call-up to the Argentina senior squad, but he is yet to make his debut. Now that the Argentine has recovered from the thigh injury, Bielsa must make a move for him in January to bolster his defensive ranks.

Leeds United could certainly do with another body in central defence in January, as Liam Cooper, Pontus Jansson and Gaetano Berardi are the main senior options.

In recent weeks though, Leeds have suffered a number of injuries and Bielsa needs depth in the squad to mount a significant promotion challenge. In that case, Foyth would be the real deal for the West Yorkshire outfit.

Foyth is comfortable on the ball and can start attacks from the back. He is strong in the tackle, good in the air and is a very good reader of the game that belies his age. The 20-year-old would be the right fit in Bielsa’s high-intensity system which apparently has been taking its toll on the Leeds squad.

Read more: Leeds United must surely strengthen their defence by signing this 6ft 4in giant in January

Spurs should be keen for one of their highly-rated talents to experience more regular first-team football and Bielsa must use his relationship with Pochettino to get a loan deal done in January. In every sense, the move would be excellent for all the parties involved.