Tottenham Hotspur identify Jan Oblak as Hugo Lloris’ replacement – Reports
Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up a move for Atletico Madrid’s expert custodian Jan Oblak in the bid to replace Hugo Lloris, according to latest reports.
In a bridgeway carved open by the situation surrounding both goalkeepers, there’s a serious possibility of Oblak plying his trade in the Premier League.
The Slovenia international is touted to leave the Wanda Metropolitano after nine years of service for a new challenge before he reaches his 30s. He extended his deal with the Spanish giants until 2028, but it seems his future is now up in the air.
Oblak has close to 200 clean sheets at Atleti, in just 360 matches for the club. He’s a real guardian for Diego Simeone, and a certified club legend.
Speaking in 2021 about his future, the 29-year-old had remarked “I can’t see the future, neither myself nor the club nor anyone can. It will depend on a lot of factors, such as if the club needs to sell any players or not. I have nothing to say about my future, I have played more than 300 games here and, while I enjoy having won LaLiga Santander, I’m not thinking about anything else.”
Lloris himself put pen to paper earlier in January, signing a two-year deal that will keep him in North London until 2024. He is currently in his 11th season with Tottenham, and for his club, he’s more than just a voice behind the back line.
Either he will leave once his contract expires, or Spurs would cash in on a cut-price deal if they can land Oblak before other European clubs join the race.
Supposedly, manager Antonio Conte and director Fabio Paratici have been discussing Lloris’ long-term successor. They previously signed Fraser Forster as a back-up, but at 34, he’s hardly going to make it beyond a few cup appearances.
The Spurs could face stiff competition from Manchester United, who are in a similar muddle with David de Gea’s long-term future. They also have Dean Henderson waiting in the wings, complicating matters further.
Oblak would add to the already talented pool of top goalkeepers in the English top-flight. Known for his incredible shot-stopping, it would be fascinating to watch a player with his level of expertise ply his trade in the PL.
His focus at the moment will be on the trip to Sevilla, with Atletico Madrid looking to find momentum after only having managed three wins in their six matches thus far.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @AkarshakRoy
Photo: Антон Зайцев. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.