MOGAMAD ALLIE: Fanfare over Foster’s move to Burnley reflects nadir of local game

The excitement about Lyle Foster’s move to Burnley is understandable. After all the transfer fee of €7m (about R132.4m), possibly rising to €10m with add-ons, is a record for an SA player, comfortably eclipsing the €6m paid by La Liga side Celta Vigo for Benni McCarthy in 1999.

It’s worth adding some perspective though. In 1999 the transfer fees and budgets of European clubs were much smaller than they are nowadays where sums of £20m-£40m for players outside the top bracket are now standard in England and  Europe’s top leagues.

The fanfare about Foster’s transfer to unfashionable Burnley, justifiable as it is, says a lot about how deep in the doldrums our football is when we are celebrating with such gusto the move of a player of undoubted potential to England’s second tier.

It's now nearly two decades ago that stars such as Lucas Radebe, Steven Pienaar, Quinton Fortune, Shaun Bartlett, Mark Fish, Eric Tinkler and McCarthy were all proudly flying the SA flag and shining among the world’s finest in the Premier League. Don’t forget the highly talented but wayward Mbulelo “Oldjohn” Mabizela and Bongani Khumalo were also on Tottenham Hotspur’s books.

Still, there’s enough reason for the pulses to start racing about Foster’s move to Turf Moor because it’s nearly five years since a leading SA player moved to England when Brighton signed Percy Tau from Mamelodi Sundowns in July 2018.

Tau, after making his league debut for the Seagulls against Pep Guardiola’s champion Manchester City side in January 2021 after a successful two-and-a-half season loan spell in Belgium, struggled to get game time at Brighton. Instead of biding his time and forcing his way into Graham Potter’s side, as strongly advised by the likes of Fortune, the former Sundowns attacker unwisely opted to take a step down by moving to Egyptian giants Al Ahly in August 2021.

Foster’s career trajectory has all the hallmarks of paving the way towards a successful future. The former Pirates striker has already laid solid foundations by spending the past four seasons in Europe after moving to French side Monaco as a promising 18-year-old in January 2019.

During his time abroad, Foster has made gradual, incremental steps playing in lower-profile but still good leagues in Portugal and Belgium, a top breeding ground for many African players who have since gone on to star on Europe’s bigger stages.

Excellent form

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, Serie A’s top scorer with 14 goals for league leaders Napoli, spent a few seasons with Charleroi; Nigeria’s Wilfred Ndidi was with Genk before being signed by Leicester City; while in the 90s Super Eagles stars such as Daniel Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba, Celestine Babayaro and Stephen Keshi honed their talents in Belgium before being signed by bigger clubs.

Foster’s excellent form for Westerlo this season, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in 21 Jupiler Pro League games, piqued the attention of a few clubs across Europe.

His recruitment is a vote of confidence by manager Vincent Kompany whose Burnley side is steaming towards automatic promotion to the Premier League. The Bafana international, who has been closely watched by the former Manchester City captain, is viewed as a player who would not only be able to add an important attacking thrust over the coming months but who also, at the age of 22, has the potential to grow into a top quality striker.

Working with a winner such as Kompany, who also had Tau under his wing during their time at Anderlecht in the first half of the 2021-22 season, can only help to accelerate Foster’s growth and development into a top-quality striker.

After all, the former Belgium international won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Manchester City as well as being voted Premier League Player of the Season in 2012. He has also learnt much from playing under Pep Guardiola, one of the world’s best managers.

Already Kompany has transformed Burnley from the route one side they were under Sean Dyche to a team that now travels along scenic avenues to the opposition’s goal.

Short drive

Foster has pace, skill and technical ability to take up the lead striker’s role for Burnley. It will help his acclimatisation that he spends six months in the Championship before hopefully graduating to the Premier League with the Clarets.

It also helps that McCarthy, who has played a key role in transforming the Manchester United attack into one of the most potent in the Premier League, would be within a short drive of less than 50km away. The former Bafana great will surely cast a watchful eye over his young compatriot.

Foster will serve as a role model for SA’s aspirant young footballers, especially since he will now be more visible on our television screens.

The Soweto-born striker moves to a club that has had previous links with SA football. Ian Towers spent nine seasons with Burnley between 1957 and 1966 and later moved to SA to join Cape Town City in 1972 and then to Hellenic two seasons later. Towers would become coach of the Greek Gods and Federation side Glenville and later spent many years working as a scout for Ajax Cape Town.

In 1939 Steve van Rensburg, a 22-year-old SA defender, joined the Burnley reserve side but was released before the end of the season.