On transfer deadline day, Tottenham Hotspur moved to sign highly rated French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from Lyon in a deal worth £12 million. The 25-year old France captain put pen to paper on a four-year deal, joining the north London club on the same day as American forward Clint Dempsey – he who Liverpool coveted for much of the summer. Towering high at 6’2”, Lloris is a slender-build goalkeeper and this may hinder him in the physical Premier League battlefield. There is, however, no question mark over his talent – indeed, this was only recently displayed whilst on international duty, saving a penalty in France’s 3-1 win over Belarus on Tuesday night.
Is it simply going to be a case of the young shot-stopper strolling into the first team at White Hart Lane? Well, no, it certainly won’t be that straightforward. When your team has a keeper of the capabilities of Brad Friedel then it’s always going to be a difficult number one jersey to wrestle from the proverbial clutches. Inevitably, Lloris will step in as Spurs’ number one at some point – with Friedel at the ripe old age of 41, it won’t be too long before he hangs up his gloves. That said, in the meantime, while Friedel is fit and enjoying himself, he’s also giving Andre Villas-Boas no reason to opt for the Frenchman over him. First of all, the American veteran has proved time and again his worth for the Spurs’ cause – only recently performing superbly well in a 1-1 draw with Norwich City at home, a game which saw Friedel make two excellent saves. He firstly tipped a Russell Martin header onto the crossbar, then displayed superb reflexes from point-blank range to deny Robert Snodgrass. If it weren’t for him, the Canaries may well have taken three points from that game. Secondly, Freidel has maintained his fitness and consistency for such a sustained period that it’s almost impossible for the manager to find reason to drop him. 307 consecutive league appearances and counting – a Premier League record which will take some serious beating.
Friedel – who has also had stints at Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa – signed for Spurs at the start of the 2011-12 season on a two-year deal so this could well be his last in the Premier League. It goes without saying that a goalkeeper’s bench life is normally much longer than his outfield counterparts – van der Sar, Seaman, Shilton – all retired in their forties. Could the American’s be extended beyond the two years? This deadline-day signing tells us otherwise but if he continues to play at the level he does then Lloris, the former Lyon and Nice number one, will have to bide his time. Something he is very well aware of, recently stating: “I will join Tottenham calmly, discovering a new world, another league, I have lots of things to prove here. I will have to work hard.” Lloris’ comments make no direct reference to his fellow team-mate and direct competition but there is no doubt he is alluding to it.
Up next for Tottenham is a tricky assignment at Reading – the Royals will be keen to get off the mark and will eye Spurs as frail prey. Such a tough game requires a solid man between the sticks and Villas-Boas has stated that he will continue with the Friedel between the posts, something which their new acquisition will have to get used to. The veteran himself recently said, too, that ‘the shirt is mine to lose’. No doubt about it, Lloris may be one of the best in Europe but for the meantime, whilst in north London, he’ll have to get used to playing second fiddle to an ageing, bald American. Welcome to the Premier League, son.
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