Jermain Defoe names unlikely Spurs star who surprised him with his pace

Jermain Defoe has claimed that Hugo Lloris surprised him with his electric pace around the goal when he first joined Tottenham.

In fact, the former Spurs striker even revealed that he met Lloris before he joined the Lilywhites back in 2012.

Hugo Lloris
Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Defoe first crossed paths with Hugo in the South of France and ended up playing head tennis with the future Tottenham captain on the beach.

As such, Defoe was able to give his Spurs teammates a glowing review of the goalkeeper when it was announced he would be joining them in North London.

Fast forward over a decade and Lloris is still leading the way for Tottenham in N17, although this could well be his final season at the club.

The Lilywhites are expected to prioritise signing a successor to the Frenchman this summer (Daily Mail) while Alasdair Gold has suggested the North Londoners may give Lloris a choice between leaving or staying to fight for his spot.

Defoe said (LadBibleTV): “I actually met Hugo before he came to Tottenham in the south of France.

“I remember I was playing head tennis on the beach with him and I remember thinking ‘wow for a goalkeeper with his feet he was unbelievable,’ I was surprised.

“When I found out he was coming to Tottenham I was buzzing. I remember telling the players Hugo is top, when he came to Spurs what really impressed me was how quick he was around the goal.

“He’s not massive to be fair, you wouldn’t say he has a big presence, but he’s electric around the goal and quick off his line.”

Spurs Web Opinion:

Hugo Lloris will go down as the best goalkeeper to ever appear for Tottenham, and deservedly so.

The most heart-breaking thing is that he will likely leave without a single trophy to show for his efforts.

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