Tottenham Hotspur are ‘reluctant’ to part ways with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris this summer, Football London’s Alasdair Gold reports.
The lowdown
34-year-old Lloris is about to enter the final year of his contract in North London after Spurs signed him from Ligue 1 outfit Lyon way back in 2011 for a fee of £11.8million.
Lloris, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, has gone to make 373 appearances for the club and kept 126 clean sheets.
Only 15 players have racked up more top-flight games for the club in their history.
Spurs have been linked with Manchester United’s Dean Henderson, ten years Lloris’ junior.
The latest
Gold writes that Spurs don’t want to see Lloris go partly because recruiting another ‘keeper of his calibre would be costly and ‘priorities lie elsewhere’ this summer.
Moreover, Lloris would be unlikely to fetch a high fee himself given his age and the short amount of time left on his deal, so cashing in to fund his replacement would prove difficult too.
However, it’s ‘unclear’ whether the player himself will want to sign a short-term extension at the club or whether he’ll look to finish his career elsewhere.
The verdict
After a jittery spell in his career, Lloris has demonstrated his class of late. He was one of Spurs’ better players over the course of their disappointing 2020/21 campaign, especially after the half way point.
Even if he indicates that he doesn’t intend to sign a new deal, it would be worth keeping him for one last year – it’s not like they will get a huge fee from cashing in anyway, as Gold alludes to.
As club captain, there would be no concerns over his commitment even with a contract ticking down, and Spurs should be focusing on the areas of real weakness in their team instead.
Perhaps they ought to have recruited a promising young ‘keeper already, someone who could have spent the last couple of seasons learning from Lloris and preparing to enter the spotlight when he moves on. But for now, there are surely more pressing matters than replacing a consistent performer.
In other news, read Daniel Levy’s intriguing transfer message.