Born in Colchester, England, but spending his entire career in France to date, Etienne Green is a name that has yet to fully cross the channel.
The goalkeeper, who plays for Saint-Etienne, does have two England U21 international caps, and his talent hasn’t gone unnoticed on these shores.
West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have both been mentioned as potential interested parties over the course of the past year, which could lead to Green being repatriated back to his country of birth.
While the Hammers have their position sorted for the time being, having signed Alphonse Aréola permanently from Paris Saint-Germain to compete with Lukasz Fabianski, Spurs are a different kettle of fish.
They currently have France’s number one, Hugo Lloris, in their goal, but the 35-year-old isn’t getting any younger, and there will come a time when he will leave.
Tottenham currently don’t really have a long-term solution for when that happens, which is why the idea of Green, or someone like him, coming in makes sense.
Didier Bigard, a well-respected French journalist, wrote a column for But! Football Club about Saint-Etienne as a whole this week, and looked at the situation of the 22-year-old goalkeeper.
Sent off twice this season due to some rather eccentric decisions, he found himself relegated to the bench for the latest game against Amiens, and whether he returns is entirely down to him and how he reacts.
Bigard wrote: ‘Mentally affected, if not drowned by his red cards, which are the result of his hazardous rushing out and his defence deserting him, Green has lost the carelessness that was his strength. Not sure if he finds it again, but if he does, he will build the character of every good goalkeeper, and doors will maybe open again.
‘Just a year ago, those of Tottenham and West Ham had creaked open. Should he have pushed them open like someone close to the club suggests? We can’t be mad at him for staying loyal to his colours.’
In that time, West Ham have sorted out their goalkeeping situation, at least in the short-term, but with Lukasz Fabianski being 37, he might not stick around forever.
Aréola will then take over, but the Hammers could then take another look at Green, if things turn around for him.
The same applies to Tottenham, and we’ll have to wait and see how strong the youngster really is, as this is a big hurdle to overcome for him.
