Having had a 23-year professional career, former England shot-stopper Ben Foster is well-positioned to identify talent. The goalkeeper spent five years at Manchester United and hated every second.
Such were the pressures and Foster's relative inexperience, he was scared of making a mistake. But the experience did enable him to understand what a good player was. When it came to identifying underrated Premier League players on an episode of his 'Fozcast' podcast, Foster was quick to name one former Tottenham Hotspur player whom he describes as simply 'phenomenal'.
Foster Calls Former Spurs Star 'Incredible'
Former international had a wealth of qualities
Foster recognises this player was never going to be the highest goalscorer and assist maker, as that wasn't his game. This was a player who could sit in midfield and get immersed in the contest and, as Foster has said, be very difficult to play against.
"When he got hold of the ball, it was impossible to get near him. He would stick his bum out, he would hold you off, his head was on a swivel, his range of passing was fantastic."
Although not the most famous Spurs player at the time, Foster is talking about former Belgium international Mousa Dembele. For Belgium, Dembele won 82 caps. Foster is not alone in praising Dembele, as ex-England international Dele Alli named him as the best player he ever played with. The midfield 'beast', as Foster described him, was always happy to get stuck in and do the dirty work for his team.
Dembele Was a Leading Light at Spurs
The midfielder was a vital part of Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham side
Dembele had many fine moments in a Spurs shirt. One performance that their fans remember is his efforts in Spurs' Champions League comeback against Juventus. Having been 2-0 down after only 10 minutes, Dembele put in an excellent performance in midfield. Harry Kane pulled one back before the break, before Christian Eriksen levelled things with 20 minutes left. Foster recognised the influence Dembele had.
"He could drive forward with it, and he was powerful."
However, the former Belgium international only played 248 games in the Premier League while at Fulham and Spurs. Foster believes this is a big reason behind Dembele being underrated beyond the clubs he played for. He didn't win anything or score lots of goals, meaning his performances may not have got the attention they deserved.
All Dembele had to show for his time at Spurs was a runners-up medal from the 2015 League Cup Final. Spurs lost 2-0 to Chelsea. That was already the score when Dembele came on as a substitute. By the time Spurs reached the Champions League final in 2019, Dembele was four months into a spell with new club Guangzhou in China. However, Foster is vocal when recalling his teammates' concerns when having to face the midfielder in a match.
"Spurs were lucky to have him for the time that they did. I remember my team, knowing a game against him was coming up, were thinking this is going to be a nightmare on Saturday."