One of Mauricio Pochettino’s first big tasks at Tottenham Hotspur is to get a hold of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and convince the Frenchman that his long term future should be at White Hart Lane.

The keeper has a contract that runs until the summer of 2016, but Spurs want to protect their investment and tie down Lloris to a longer deal.

But they have to overcome a few issues to get Lloris to agree to any new contract. First off that have to meet the man face to face. That will probably not happen until after the World Cup and when Hugo returns from his holiday after the tournament. Then they have to reassure the French internationalist that big plans are in place to get the club back into the Champions League. Plus they’ll have to increase his current £3.7m wage.

Even with all that, they will also have to hope a Champions League club doesn’t come in and give the keeper the eye. That could turn the players head and make things tougher for Tottenham.

A few Champions League sides might be in the market for a new goalkeeper. Those sides at this time would be; Monaco, Atletico Madrid and Napoli.

Press speculation has linked fifty-five times capped Lloris with a move to Paris Saint-Germain but I really can’t see PSG spending big on a new goalkeeper. In Salvatore Sirigu they have one of Europe’s best performers in the past few seasons. The Italian is still only twenty-seven, so he’s still to hit his peak form in my opinion. Once Gianluigi Buffon retires from the Azzurri, Sirigu will takeover as Italy’s number one. PSG also have a very talented young local keeper in Alphonse Areola who excelled during his loan spell with Lens last season. The twenty-one year old has represented France from the under seventeens to the under twenty-ones.

Then you have to remember that UEFA’s financial fair play rule has came in and bitten PSG on the bum already. The Ligue 1 champs have already gone out and blown £50m on David Luiz, so now need to sell before they can buy. Would they really want to splash big cash on a goalkeeper when they already have a top goalie and good back up? I seriously doubt it.

Atletico Madrid would first test the waters with Chelsea and try and make Belgian Thibaut Courtois’ loan deal permanent. I doubt that will happen, so they along with Napoli will probably look at signing Liverpool’s Pepe Reina. The thirty-one year old Spanish international will be on offer for a modest fee. The fact is neither of those two sides could put together the £20m-£25m transfer fee that Spurs would put on Hugo’s head.

I suppose Real Madrid may look at investing in a new goalkeeper, especially if they sell Diego Lopez or Iker Casillas. But why when they proved they can still win a Champions League title with legend Iker in goals? Plus Madrid love to spend wads of cash but not on a goalkeeper. They will be more interested in players like Luiz Suarez, Sergio Aguero or Paul Pogba.

So that leaves AS Monaco. The Ligue 1 runners up certainly have plenty of cash to spend but again are they a club that want to splash out on a keeper when they can buy yet another striker or playmaker? They currently have Croatian keeper Danijel Subasic on their books and look set to sign up talented Nancy youngster Paul Nardi, though Nardi will probably end up spending another year with Nancy on loan.

I think Monaco will pursue a keeper this summer but I just can’t see them parting with £20m or more for Lloris. I believe a deal is already in place for Barcelona’s Victor Valdes. The Italian market is a market that the French sides like to buy from and I can see Samir Handanovic being a target if the Valdes deal falls through.

Lloris is a great goalkeeper. His attributes are clear for everyone to see… He is a fine shot-stopper, he is good with the ball at his feet and with his distribution. The French number one is also quick off his line and becomes a sweeper at the back, allowing more space for the defenders who can push up. His style would marry well with that of Pochettino’s who likes to keep the ball moving and for his teams to press forward. So it’s easy to see just why the Argentine coach would want to secure Lloris for his new project.

But say Tottenham get unbelievable money from Monaco, or anyone else for that matter, to prise Lloris away from North London, Spurs will have plenty of decent keepers that can come in and take over the gloves at White Hart Lane.

Cardiff City’s David Marshall impressed everyone in the English Premier League with his displays. At Celtic, Fraser Forster has shown that he is very capable at keeping cleansheets and performing heroics in the Champions League. Tim Krul is a proven performer in the Premier League with Newcastle. Then you add to the mix the players that I’ve already mentioned; Pepe Reina, Victor Valdes and Samir Handanovic. All of them will probably cost a lot less than the money they’d get for Lloris.

With all that said I just can’t see Hugo Lloris departing Tottenham this summer. I doubt a club will fork out huge cash when the market is full of good goalies who won’t cost as much. Lloris should come back from the World Cup and talk to Pochettino and club chairman Daniel Levy, find out what the plans are for the future. If he likes what he hears then sign a new long term deal for higher wages. If not then stay for a year and then move on in 2015 when you are more affordable.

Posted on May 30th, 2014 by scott
Filed under: Article