Tottenham Hotspur are targeting a replacement for club legend Hugo Lloris this summer transfer window, with Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana a potential candidate…
What’s the latest on Andre Onana to Spurs?
That is according to TEAMtalk’s transfer insider Graeme Bailey, who provided a fresh update on the situation this week.
“Onana joined Inter from Ajax last summer, but he could now be allowed to leave after just 12 months in Milan,” he said. “Tottenham are very much one to keep an eye on. They liked him a lot before he moved to Milan.”
The Serie A giants are treading a fine line financially and the owners may have to sell some of their key players to generate more income, which is why the 26-year-old could already be moved on.
It remains to be seen exactly how much the Cameroon star would command, with FootballTransfers currently estimating his value to be in the region of €14.5m (£12.8m).
What is happening with Hugo Lloris at Spurs?
Lloris’ time in north London could soon come to an end – it was always going to happen with him turning 36 in December but his recent form, combined with a fresh injury, could see it happen a lot faster.
It’s no secret that the Lilywhites are in the market for a true heir to the gloves, with shot-stoppers such as Jan Oblak, Jordan Pickford and Robert Sanchez all mooted in recent months.
Since joining from Lyon in 2012, the veteran has typically been a reliable and long-serving colossus for the club but this season, he leads the Premier League for errors leading to a goal, having made more than double any other player in the division.
There have been some pretty costly blunders in 2023 alone, making mistakes in defeats to Aston Villa, arch-rivals Arsenal and defending champions Manchester City, leading to Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness stating that Lloris is “past his sell-by date.”
Others, including former BBC presenter Matthew Stadlen and the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, have lambasted him as a “liability” and that’s not really a great case for your skipper and a move for the Inter glovesman could allow manager Antonio Conte to make a change, with current backup Fraser Forster not likely to pull up any trees in the long run.
Onana, meanwhile, has kept six clean sheets in his 14 top-flight appearances this term, in which Inter have conceded less than a goal a game. The Cameroon titan hasn’t recorded a single error leading to a goal – or a shot – either, which makes him appear to be a far greater source of consistency, and thus more confidence, at the back.
As Inter’s sixth best-rated performer in the Serie A, it’s evident that the “excellent” Onana – as lauded by Serbia no.1 Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – would be an outstanding upgrade on the dwindling £100k-per-week Lloris, who was still blighted by his World Cup heartbreak after returning from Qatar.
Perhaps it could be another ‘Italian job’ for sporting director Fabio Paratici as he looks to find a viable and long-term suitor for the first-choice goalkeeping role at Hotspur Way.
AND in other news, As well as Lloris: Conte must bin £85k-p/w Spurs ace “nowhere near the required level”…
