Among the disappointments of the season at Anderlecht, there is clearly Thomas Foket. Brought with Red Devil status and supposed to compete with Killian Sardella, he does not succeed, but will receive an unexpected chance to show himself.
Is Killian Sardella becoming Olivier Deschacht 2.0? As at the time with the left-back who became a legend at Parc Astrid, in any case it has been two seasons in a row that RSC Anderlecht has transferred a player to his position… and Sardella has imposed himself without forcing too much.
Last season, it was Louis Patris who we imagined would compete with Killian Sardella for the right-back position. Transferred for 3 million, the young OHL talent embodied the future, with a more dynamic and spectacular style. We know how it turned out: Patris did not convince, and had to wait for an injury to Sardella to play a series of matches from December to February.
Foket will also receive this chance
A year later, Thomas Foket joined Anderlecht with, this time, the status of an experienced full-back, Red Devil (10 caps all the same!) and capable on paper of seriously competing with Sardella. It was even almost strange, after such a good season from Neerpede’s “ket”, to put such a name in his hands.
But history has changed: a few months later, Foket only started once in the championship, and it was Killian Sardella who became the Red Devil. Worse: each time he received his chance, the former La Gantoise evolved to a frankly problematic level.
This was particularly the case against an opponent as susceptible as Tubize-Braine, against whom Foket spent his time chasing his opposite number. In Europe, it was against Ludogorets that he suffered against Rick, the opposing winger.
Irony of fate: almost exactly like Patris last year, Thomas Foket will also be able to take advantage of an injury to show off a little. “I need rhythm to find my level,” he said a few months ago, precisely after this match against Ludogorets in which he was quite good offensively, but in difficulty behind.
Against Porto, we will have to be solid
This evening, in the absence of Sardella, David Hubert has only one option at right back: Foket. Barring a huge surprise which would send a clear message to the former Stade de Reims player, it is he who will start, and we will have to be much more solid than against the Bulgarian champion. FC Porto may be going through a bad patch, but it will go very quickly on the wings.
We still don’t know how long Killian Sardella will be unavailable, but it will be measured in weeks. This is also the reason for the transfer of Thomas Foket last summer: the usual starter has been prone to injuries in recent seasons. But if Hubert notices that his No. 2 at right back is not up to the standard in the coming weeks, he will have a problem, which Olivier Renard may want to resolve during the transfer window…
