Tottenham’s decision to sign Pau Lopez in the summer was a surprising one considering that the club already had an excellent choice of goalkeepers with Hugo Lloris, regarded as one of the best in the Premier League, and Michael Vorm. Lopez arrived from Espanyol on a loan deal with the English club forking out a loan fee of just over £500,000. As expected, Lopez has struggled to break through the stranglehold of Lloris and Vorm. He is yet to feature in any match for Spurs and is unlikely to do so barring a catastrophe with regard to injuries.
His lack of game time at White Hart Lane has led to a string of transfer offers especially from Spanish football. At just 21 years of age, Lopez is regarded as one of the bright young prospects. He managed to make 36 appearances for Espanyol last season. He has clearly proved that he can play at the top level of the game. However, Spurs do not appear ready to let the player leave as Mauricio Pochettino thinks that he has a great future.
Spurs have the option to buy the player for £7 million, should they like him, in the summer. However, the club are now reportedly counting on the possibility of signing him once the loan deal comes to an end, reports the Spanish outlet – Sport.
One of the primary reasons for Spurs signing the youngster was Pochettino’s desire to be reunited with the goalkeeper with whom he worked at Espanyol. Pochettino was in charge of the Spanish outfit when Lopez was just coming through the ranks.
He has a contract with Espanyol until the summer of 2018. Once his loan spell with Spurs comes to an end, he will have just 12 months left on his contract. This puts him in a vulnerable position, as many clubs will be looking to sign him on the cheap. Spurs appear to be counting on this aspect, as they do not want to pay the £400,000 penalty fee should a sign him from Espanyol on a permanent basis right now.
As transfer rumours have been swirling around captain Hugo Lloris, Spurs are likely to be in the market for a new goalkeeper sooner rather than later. Lloris also has a contract with Spurs only until the summer of 2018. He is reported to be unhappy with the wages being offered by chairman Daniel Levy. As one of the top goalkeepers in the world, he will find no shortage of interested clubs looking to pay him as demanded. At 29, he is still relatively young for a goalkeeper. Lloris is regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the league alongside David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois.
