Before the craziness of the transfer market gets going too much, we need to reflect back on the season that was for Tottenham Hotspur and we are starting with the goalkeepers. There was some transition in the keeper room at N17 as Paulo Gazzaniga fell down the pecking order and Joe Hart came in. Of course, the main piece of the Tottenham goalkeeping puzzle is Hugo Lloris.
Lloris bounced back from a bad injury
Hugo Lloris was not exactly having the best campaign in 2019/20 when he was injured. However, the fact that he has come back from such a horrific injury and played as well as he did is a real testament to Hugo as a player. Lloris’ 75.7% save percentage is above his career average of 73.6 and the best percentage in a full season since 2016/17.
The problem was that he faced way too many shots on target. The 144 shots on target Lloris faced were the most given up by Tottenham since 2014/15. While Hugo Lloris was good, saving three out of every four shots on target he faced, he likely did not expect to face 144 shots. In fact, Lloris’ 111 saves are the most he has ever had for Tottenham in a Premier League season.
As a result of all the shots Lloris faced, he conceded 45 goals in the league, the most since 2014/15. And while Hugo was fourth in the league with 12 clean sheets, as many as he kept in 2018/19, his clean sheet percentage was his lowest since 14/15.
While clearly the defense and some of the associated errors were a cause of the high goal tally, at 34, there are simply some things Lloris does not do like he used to.
Back in 2017/18, Hugo Lloris had 37 sweeper actions, according to Premier League statistics. However, this past season, Lloris had five. A trait that was once considered one of his strongest – the ability to come out and play sweeper – has seemingly disappeared. Add in what has become mediocre distribution – at best – and Lloris’ best days are certainly behind him.
After playing all 38 matches for the first time for Spurs and facing a barrage of shots, Lloris certainly must be thinking about his future. With only 1 year remaining on his current deal, who the new coach will be and the approach they take will be very important to Hugo. This was a bounce-back year in many respects but still a down year overall with too many rebounds and goals against.
Likely if Hugo does not sign an extension this summer, the club will look to move him in January before he can walk on a free transfer.
So Lloris had an okay season, what about his back-ups?
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.