Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris has not looked like he is at his best for sometime now in a lilywhite shirt, but it is undeniable that he has still single-handedly saved the club from a number of defeats or points dropped, even this season.
At 34-years-old, the Frenchman remains captain for his national team too and still is a highly sought-after player, with Manchester United rumoured to be interested, as well as former clubs Nice and Lyon, while Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly keen to link-up with his former goalkeeper at PSG.
With all the interest in Lloris, it seems like the perfect time for Spurs to make a move and bring in a replacement who will be a key asset between the sticks for the club moving forward, and according to L’Equipe, Lille keeper Mike Maignan may be that man.
Maignan, 25, was pursued by Chelsea last summer, and at just 25 million euros he could be available for Jose Mourinho who has been encouraged to sign the former PSG man by assistant Joao Sacramento and goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos who both worked with Maignan during their time at Lille together.
Daniel Levy will be well aware that the keeper also has just over a year on his contract at Lille and could be available for even less with a bit of trademark negotiating that he is known for.
Sell Lloris and Gazzaniga then get him in
— َ (@ThfcMohd) March 23, 2021
Perfect lloris replacement imo
— Sonsational 🇮🇹 (@Jxde23476448) March 23, 2021
https://twitter.com/Niyim7/status/1374407839460904961?s=20
Both Sacramento and Santos are huge fans of the French shot-stopper, and they believe he would be the perfect successor to his compatriot Lloris.
AC Milan are also in the running for the 25-year-old, as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s future remains unclear with his contract up at the end of the season – but Spurs could hold the advantage in the race for Maignan should Lloris, who is France’s third most capped player ever with 120 appearances, give a good reference.
Lille have enjoyed having Maignan at the club after his £725k move from PSG, and in 30 Ligue 1 appearances this season, he has let just 19 goals in while managing 16 clean sheets, letting in more than one goal on just four occasions but never conceding more than two goals.
Most clean sheets in Europe's top five leagues this season:
🇧🇷 Ederson (15)
🇫🇷 Mike Maignan (15)
🇦🇷 Emi Martínez (14)Emi is not giving up on that Golden Glove. 🧤 pic.twitter.com/opGP4e5O1L
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) March 6, 2021
He has fantastic reactions, much like Lloris, and is comfortable dealing with shots from long distance as well as from close range.
Maignan looks like he will be a fantastic keeper in the Premier League, and has the potential to be one of the top keepers in the world – so it’s imperative that Spurs bring him or at least someone just like him to replace the ageing Lloris.