Zenit centre-back Emmanuel Mammana was on Pochettino’s radar last year but Spurs signed Juan Foyth instead.
Mauricio Pochettino knows a thing or two about identifying talent. And the Argentine can take some pride in knowing that Emmanuel Mammana, a centre-back he was watching closely a year ago, is starting to evolve into one of the continent’s most promising young defenders.
According to The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur scouts were keeping a close eye on Mammana last season while he was earning rave reviews at Lyon. With a £9 million release clause in his contract in October last year, the fellow Argentine looked like one of the best value targets around.
Flash forward a year, however, and Mammana would undoubtedly be worth far more these days. Liverpool made a bid of around £14.9 million in the summer, according to The Sun, but Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg beat The Reds to the 21-year-old.
And he’s certainly made a promising start to life in Russia. Zenit, these days managed by former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, are two points clear of Lokomotiv Moscow at the summit of the Premier League and have not lost a game so far.
Mammana, meanwhile, has started nine of 12 league fixtures and already looks a snip of a signing. Blessed with excellent passing range and composure in the challenge, WhoScored rates the three-time Argentina international as the third best defender in Russia so far this season.
Argentine vs Argentine
Spurs, then, will be hoping their very own Albiceleste youngster proves to be just as impressive over time. After weeks of speculation, Tottenham completed the £8 million signing of Estudiantes’ highly-rated superstar-in-waiting Juan Foyth just prior to transfer deadline day (BBC).
A gifted centre-half as renowned for his quality on the ball as his positional sense, the 19-year-old has not yet made a Premier League appearance but an impressive debut against Barnsley in EFL Cup is an indication of what is to come.
It will be interesting to see whether the Argentine defender Spurs signed or the one that got away progresses further.
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