Lyle Foster, an English Football League (EFL) Championship runaway leader and striker born in South Africa, made headlines on Wednesday night by agreeing to a four-and-a-half year contract with Burnley FC.
The ambidextrous striker, a native of Johannesburg, was acquired from KVC Westerlo of Belgium. He began playing football when he was 12 years old, according to former Orlando Pirates head coach Augusto Palacios.
Foster later shown good abilities at the Bucs academy, which led to his promotion to the first team in 2017. Under the direction of Milutin Sredojevic, he made his Premier Soccer League debut against Maritzburg United.
His trip to Europe began when AS Monaco, a French Ligue 1 team, came knocking in 2019, offering Pirates R22 million ($1.2 million) to sign the then-18-year-old Foster. Under the direction of coach David Bechkoura, he first played for AS Monaco’s B squad.
Foster failed at Monaco, where he was loaned to Cercle Brugge, a team that competed in the Belgian first division, where he only managed to score one goal, like many other South African players who transfer to Europe.
Foster remained a bright prospect in Europe and caught the eye of Vitoria Guimaraes of Portugal, who picked him up from Monaco on a permanent contract for €1.2 million.
Following in the footsteps of Percy Tau, the Noordgesig, Soweto-born star was loaned out to Westerlo for the 2021/22 season. Foster contributed four goals and 23 appearances to Westerlo’s automatic promotion to the Belgian Pro League.
The striker was given a long-term contract by the Belgian team, and in his subsequent 21 appearances this season, he has provided eight goals and three assists.
Foster became the most expensive player in South African football history on Wednesday when Burnley acquired the 22-year-old for a reported €7 million. If the Clarets get promoted to the English Premier League the following season, that price may increase to €10 million.
Foster said on the Burnley website, “I’m extremely glad to be here. “I feel fortunate and grateful for the chance. I really cannot wait to begin.
“My heart and mind were fixed on the club the minute I learned that Burnley was interested in me. I’m over the moon to be here. I had a dream about it.
Having already coached Tau during his time at Anderlecht, Burnley coach Vincent Kompany, a former Manchester City player, seems to have a thing for South African athletes.
Foster will be aiming for a home debut when Burnley welcomes Preston to Turf Moor on February 11. Burnley will travel to Ipswich Town in the FA Cup fourth-round matchup on Saturday.
»Lyle Foster continues his rise at new team«