“I’d received nothing” – Tottenham player explains the delay over Spurs renewal

Thursday’s edition of L’Equipe has a big interview with Hugo Lloris, with the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper currently away with his national side.

The chat was varied, and Lloris dealt with all the questions thrown at him very well, especially given some seemed to be probing for negativity regarding Spurs and his situation at the Premier League club.

The 35-year-old extended his contract with Tottenham in January, and his current deal now runs until June 2024. The renewal came later than many expected it would and that encouraged rumours about the player’s future.

L’Equipe’s first question to Lloris was why he waited so long to sign a new deal, to which he answered: “The discussions began in January and ended very quickly.”

That brief answer wasn’t what the French newspaper were looking for, so the stopper was then asked why the talks didn’t start last summer instead: “I had been pretty clear and honest on the subject by saying that I had received nothing. So I cannot answer this question. I can have a reflection only when I have things in hand, and that was not the case last summer.

“This was the case in January and it happened quickly. Before, it was a somewhat complicated season, which we started with one coach (Nuno Espirito) and continued with another (Antonio Conte). “I also made a choice of loyalty vis-à-vis a club, the supporters, because I want to continue the adventure and I feel ready, above all, to continue it.”

Asked if he hesitated to sign a renewal and was instead tempted by using his free-agent status, Lloris dismissed that, making it clear he’d wanted to stay: “Continuing has always been my first option, otherwise I would have thought of something else. But deep down, that’s what I wanted. I am in the Premier League, and if the team has been alternating ups and downs for two seasons, we have become competitive again with Antonio Conte.”

Not letting go of the line of questioning, L’Equipe wanted to know if it was Conte’s arrival which changed the renewal situation: “I don’t know, but things were clear with him from the start. I also have this relationship with Daniel Levy, even if Fabio Paratici has arrived and is responsible for the sportsmen now.”

The final part of the chat on the renewal saw Lloris explain that he negotiated with Tottenham himself, rather than leaving the negotiations to an agent or anyone else: “I discuss one-on-one with the men of the club, with Fabio and the president. It has often happened that way in my career, and I think it is better, in the discussions, to see for myself what it is and to understand the expectations.”

Hugo Lloris is happy, and clearly wasn’t prepared to put any doubt, even retrospectively, on his future with Spurs.