Club Legend and former captain Hugo Lloris explains why he did not leave Tottenham on deadline day amidst interest from clubs
Hugo Lloris, the experienced goalie for Tottenham who recently turned down a last-minute move to his old team Nice, has given his reasoning for doing so. Lloris is currently uncertain of his future.
The 36-year-old has been free to leave Spurs for the whole summer, and he was given permission to skip the team’s preseason tour of Australia in order to “explore potential transfer opportunities.”
He has been connected to numerous teams, including Saudi Pro League teams, and Lazio and Newcastle United both made late-season approaches.
Lloris, who won the World Cup, still feels he is talented enough to be the first choice, thus he rejected the deals because those teams simply wanted him as a backup option.
Kasper Schmeichel’s contract with the Ligue 1 team was terminated late on Friday night, making a return to Nice, the team where he began his career, a possibility.
Lloris, however, claims that the potential transfer came to light too late in the day for him to give it considerable thought. He also believed Marcin Bulka, who has already replaced Schmeichel, would be awarded the starting job.
The Frenchman said, “I want to clear up the ambiguity surrounding the events of the past hours,” in a statement to the neighborhood newspaper Nice-Matin.
An representative called me yesterday [Friday], an hour before the window closed, and mentioned the idea of joining OGC Nice.
The fundamental factors influencing a player’s choice, which are significantly more important than financial considerations, are playing prospects and the sporting project.
“My professional path has demonstrated how much that sharing and mutual progress have always influenced my decisions, especially when it comes to returning to the club where I received my training.
“The fans and the team deserve better than a split-second decision based on an impromptu phone call or a clearly defined sporting project with one hour left before the window closed at a time when I wasn’t expecting it,” the player said.
To be really honest, without this shared goal, at the very least with the president and the coach, I couldn’t sign.
For me, OGC Nice has always been a particular club. It is in my blood, my city, and my club.
‘A goalie [Bulka] is on the field right now. At the beginning of the season, he is without a doubt among the best. He has a bright future in his career.
“Joining a club to play, build, and perform is one thing; signing without a sporting vision and having a direct positive impact on the team is quite another.”