Pau Lopez could re-sign for Tottenham this summer just a year after severing his ties with the club, according to his former manager Sergio Gonzalez.
The Spanish goalkeeper, 23, spent last season on loan at White Hart Lane before returning to his parent club Espanyol, where he has spent the season as the number one.
Lopez has started all 19 of the club’s league matches and conceded just 22 goals, an excellent return for a team in the bottom half of La Liga.
But he is out of contract at Espanyol in the summer and a move back to north London could be on the cards.
Former Espanyol manager Sergio Gonzalez, who brought Lopez through the ranks at the club and is now in charge of Catalonia, has suggested he could return to Spurs in the summer.
Gonzalez, speaking to Tutto Mercato Web, said: “Without a doubt, Pau has a great future ahead of him, whether he is at Espanyol, in Italy or again at Tottenham, I wish him the best decision for his career.
“Pau has to do what he feels inside… certainly going abroad does not intimidate him, as he showed during the loan, despite the fact that he has never played.
“The Premier League experience was fundamental, Lopez grew up again and Spurs goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez gave him valuable advice.”
Good move for Tottenham?
Yes, definitely. Lopez is a rising star with the potential to be an outstanding keeper. Hugo Lloris is the undisputed number one at Spurs, but veteran Michel Vorm is out of contract in the summer and there are doubts over the calibre of Paulo Gazzaniga. It would be quite a coup if Tottenham can take advantage of Lopez’s contract situation and bring him to White Hart Lane this summer, where he can be gradually assimilated as the long-term successor to Lloris.
This Is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
With Gonzalez out of contract in the summer, and current Spurs number two Vorm in the same situation, there is a good chance that Tottenham will look to recruit Lopez on a permanent deal. Mauricio Pochettino has great faith in Jimenez’s knowledge of goalkeeper and the coach is a huge fan of the 23-year-old. Spurs will need to provide a pathway for Lopez to play regularly to seal the deal.
This Is Futbol rating 6/10