Journalist Darren Lewis insists he wouldn’t be surprised if Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Conte soon start looking for a Hugo Lloris replacement.
It was a game to forget for the Tottenham skipper on Sunday evening as his two huge errors both led to goals being conceded in a game they went on to lose, in their first home loss of the season across all competitions.
Lloris’ flop to the floor after running into Callum Wilson and poor kick out wide to Ryan Sessegnon saw Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer label him as ‘stupid’ (via The Chronicle), and now at 35, his time could soon be up as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, according to Lewis.
While speaking on the TalkSport GameDay podcast, Lewis admitted that Conte will need a new No 1 if he wishes to achieve his ambitions with Spurs.
He said: “As world-class as he might be, every so often, he has these rushes of blood that cost his team. I was at a couple of games last season and he has these rushes of blood that cost his team so often, and it wouldn’t surprise me if long-term, Antonio Conte was looking for a younger, newer ‘keeper.
Do Spurs need to replace Lloris?
Yes!
No!
“Fraser Forster’s a No 2, he’s not a No 1, and I think particularly if you want to aspire to the kind of thing that Conte aspires to, you need a consistent ‘keeper who’s not going to do that kind of thing.”
TIF Thoughts on Hugo Lloris…
It would be a shame if this season turns into one of high-profile errors for Lloris as that might be what people remember him for despite being a top-class goalkeeper for Tottenham over the years, with the Frenchman currently in his 11th straight season between the sticks in north London.
Lloris will always be remembered as a Tottenham great given his service to the club, captaining them in a Champions League final and racking up 432 appearances in the process, but now could be the time to start searching for his replacement.
There have been some reports over the course of this year suggesting that Leeds United’s Illan Meslier is someone that is of interest to Spurs, and he could see that move as an appealing one by replacing his country’s No 1 at club level.