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Reflecting on the Tottenham Hotspur season: Goalkeeping

By Aaron Coe

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Hugo Lloris (L) and Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur battle for possession with Lys Mousset of Sheffield United during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 02, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Hugo Lloris (L) and Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur battle for possession with Lys Mousset of Sheffield United during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 02, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /
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Whiteman and Hart of Tottenham
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 26: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Alfie Whiteman of Tottenham Hotspur and Joe Hart. (Photo by Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

Back-up Tottenham keepers

Tottenham Hotspur made some waves last summer when veteran Joe Hart was brought into the squad on a free transfer. After Hugo Lloris was injured the previous season Paulo Gazzaniga had started a huge chunk of matches and seemingly was the number 2. However, after Hart came in that all changed.

Gazzaniga never appeared this season for Tottenham, went on loan this past January and was released together this past week.

While Gazzaniga was not playing two other keepers saw some action for Tottenham in 2020/21, just not in the Premier League.

Joe Hart for Tottenham

Joe Hart had a decent run at times for Tottenham. Playing only in alternative competitions Hart made 10 appearances playing all but 8 of the 900 available minutes. In those 10 appearances, Hart made 15 saves on 20 shots against.

Clearly, Hart faced a lot fewer shots than Lloris and he also saw lower-level competition, getting 8 of his 10 appearances in the Europa League.

Hart also had his rough moments like the terrible goals conceded to LASK, which ended tied 3-3. Hart was a very vocal player on the pitch and did a nice job controlling his box. Joe was solid enough and is under contract until next June same as Hugo Lloris. While Hart likely is with the team at the start of the season, he may not be the #2 as the heir apparent to Lloris needs to be found.

Alfie Whiteman did play

Alfie Whiteman is a 22-year-old keeper from the Tottenham academy who made his debut under Jose Mourinho. Playing for eight minutes at the end of one of the Europa League matches was surely a big deal for Whiteman.

Like Lloris and Hart, Whiteman is also contracted until June 2022. The real question for next season is if Whiteman, rather than a new transfer, is the new #2 or if he goes out on loan to try and gain some experience. No matter what happens, Whiteman is at the age where he really needs experience, which is most likely to come away from N17.

Overall Tottenham Keeper Grade

Overall, Tottenham keepers earned a B- for the season. The save percentage was not bad but there were some times this season where Tottenham needed more than not bad and they simply did not get it. With all three keepers down to one year on their respective deals, expect some change coming to the position soon one way or another.