‘Why would you’ – Pundit admits surprise at Spurs’ reported interest in 27-year-old

Reacting to Tottenham’s reported interest in Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Kevin Phillips has admitted that he expected Tottenham Hotspur to stick with Hugo Lloris for at least one more season.

Lloris is into the final year of his contract in North London and the Spurs captain admitted during the international break that he will have talks with the club regarding a new contract in the coming weeks.

The Frenchman has continued his fine form between the sticks this season but there has been plenty of speculation linking Tottenham with various goalkeepers over recent weeks.

The Telegraph reported last week that Antonio Conte is eyeing up Pickford as a candidate to succeed Lloris. It was alleged that the Italian allegedly wants a homegrown goalkeeper either to take over as number one or to compete with the 34-year-old.

Some Spurs fans on social media were not particularly pleased to hear the rumour, insisting there are better options than out there than the Everton man.

While Phillips admitted he can see why Tottenham would want Pickford, given the England number one’s excellent distribution, he questioned why the club would want to get rid of Lloris.

When asked about Tottenham’s rumoured interest in the 27-year-old, the former Sunderland striker told Football Insider: “I think Conte wants Jordan because of his distribution.

“Is exceptional at times. He can ping it with that left foot and drop it straight into centre-forwards. There are no issues with that.

“I am surprised though if I’m being honest. Why would you not do everything to keep Lloris? At least for another season.

“If they are going to go for someone else, Jordan Pickford is proven at the top level. He is England’s number one. He is a quality goalkeeper.

“As I say, I think his distribution is the reason why Conte wants him.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

Perhaps Tottenham are drafting contingency plans in case Lloris does not sign a new contract. I would be pretty surprised if the club decided not to offer the Frenchman a new deal over the coming weeks as his form is showing no signs of deteriorating. 

While distribution might not be Lloris’ strength, that is a part of his game that has improved significantly over the last three to four years. His shot-stopping arguably remains up there with the best in the world.

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