Tottenham Hotspur fans didn’t need The Sun to point out the obvious to them over the weekend, Hugo Lloris will be happier at Tottenham if the club get Champions League football.
The English newspaper linked both PSG and Real Madrid with possible swoops for the Tottenham number one, but given that The Sun almost certainly have zero direct line to the inner thoughts of Zinedine Zidane and Unai Emery, that’s just educated guesswork.
For Lloris, the best way to garner his feelings right now is through the French media. In the goalkeeper’s early Tottenham days, when there was French fury at him having to fight for his place, there were articles in the French media which looked to be an accurate reflection of what the goalkeeper was thinking. That seemed to be some line of communication.
Following Tottenham’s poor defeat to AS Monaco and Champions League elimination, L’Equipe said of Lloris: ‘His history with the Champions League 2016-2017 will end on December 7th at home against CSKA Moscow. A match for a place in the Europa League. The real level of Spurs on the European stage. Not that of Lloris.’
The good news here is that there’s been nothing since. There’s no leaks going to the French media about Lloris being prepared to consider his future and nobody seems to be encouraging the story.
Given even the slightest bit of encouragement, the French media would love to run with the story. But right now they accept Lloris is happy, it may not be completely understood, but it’s accepted.
Indeed, a week before the Monaco match, Lloris told Le Parisien: “There are two important moments in my career. The first was when I signed at Lyon in 2008, where I spent four years with Joël Bats. He’s the one who taught me about the biggest expectations, reach the French team and stay there.
“Then came the meeting with Mauricio Pochettino and Tony Jimenez, the goalkeeping coach. They’re the ones who helped me develop the skills of the modern goalkeeper and become more complete. At Tottenham, the keeper is the first to start attacks, and we take risks. I can’t hide it. I’m happy at the moment.”
He’s happy, and even when giving the interview he knew Tottenham’s Champions League campaign was precarious. If Lloris’ mood changes then the hints are much likelier to come from France.
