Is it important for Tottenham to sign Paulo Gazzaniga as third-choice keeper?
By Gary Pearson
A Southampton barber shop is doing its best impression of a tabloid newspaper by announcing that Paulo Gazzaniga is set to leave the Saints.
After coming across a post on Equinox Gentleman’s Refinery Instagram profile, Cartilage Free Captain broke the odd story.
I believe these rumours more than most I read on the Mirror and Sun, probably because it has come directly from the horse’s mouth. Gazzaniga is front and center in the image, the caption stating:
"“Equinox said our last farewell to this handsome gentleman this week. Gonna miss this good looking chap.”"
If this bizarre rumour has the veracity I think it does, it is almost a certainty that Gazzaniga is Tottenham-bound. Spurs have been linked to the Southampton keeper for a while now. You probably won’t be floored to learn that Gazzaniga hails from Argentina.
Pochettino’s compatriot would reinforce stability in goal, ensuring Spurs have depth for the future.
But how important is adding a third goalkeeper at a time when Spurs have more pressing priorities with which to attend?
While Tottenham undoubtedly have more pressing concerns, signing a third goalkeeper has more merit than at first glance.
Hugo Lloris is one of the world’s hottest commodities. We’ve already heard rumours of profligate clubs circling like vultures, waiting for the right time to lure the Frenchman away from North London. Tottenham are in no imminent danger of losing their club captain, but it never hurts to have a contingency in place.
Most keepers age like fine whisky, so Lloris’ age is not disconcerting in the least. He’s 30 years old and should have at least five or six more years at the peak of his ability.
Michel Vorm is an altogether different scenario.
As a reserve keeper, Vorm, other than in secondary cup competitions, rarely sees the pitch. He’s a capable keeper, but won’t see the light of day unless Lloris, heaven forbid, goes down with an injury. At 33 years old, Vorm has seen his best days come and go. His days at Tottenham are numbered, even if we don’t want to admit it.
The 25-year-old Gazzaniga, with that in mind, would be promoted to Lloris’ understudy in a relatively short timeframe.
Next: Are Chelsea really that hobbled?
And if the vultures, as they’re expected to do, relentlessly pick away at Daniel Levy and offer him an outlandish sum of money to drag Lloris away from North London, suddenly Gazzaniga could find himself propelled into the spotlight.
The odds of this unlikely outcome happening are minuscule, but Benjamin Franklin once said:
““By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Pochettino knows the importance of having failsafes in place at every position so signing Gazzaniga becomes significantly more important as we scratch beneath the surface.