Tottenham are reportedly pursuing a shock deal for Southampton goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
Tottenham Hotspur are the only Premier League team yet to make a new signing this summer – but that could soon be changed amid strong rumours of a move for Paulo Gazzaniga.
Whilst fans have been hoping to see a new right back or even another winger added to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, he is instead pursuing a shock £2million deal for Gazzaniga, according to The Sun.
Now, on the face of it, this is a bizarre rumour. Gazzaniga, 25, has only made 23 appearances for Southampton since arriving from Gillingham in 2012, failing to nail down any sort of first-team role before shipped out on loan to Spanish second tier side Rayo Vallecano last season.
Gazzaniga has returned to St. Mary’s Stadium, but still has no role under new manager Mauricio Pellegrino, and yet we could now see him earn a move to Tottenham, the same Tottenham who finished second in the Premier League last season and have qualified for the Champions League.
Yet, once you scratch beneath the surface, the move does make some sense. Gazzaniga and Pochettino not only both hail from Murphy, Santa Fe, but also worked together at Southampton, seemingly striking a strong bond.
In fact, as quoted by The Mirror in 2013, Pochettino defended the 6ft 5in shot-stopper over making errors, stating that he felt Gazzaniga had improved and developed off the back of his mistakes, and – most importantly – had the trust of Pochettino himself.
“We have full confidence in Paulo. We are happy with the work he has been doing since I arrived at the club,” said Pochettino.
“We think Paulo is a better goalkeeper now, we think that he has progressed and learnt a lot. He is still very young but you can learn a lot from mistakes. We are happy with the way he has matured as a goalkeeper and Paulo is really important to the squad – he has the faith of the manager,” he added.
Now, the pair could be set to reunite, and whilst you shouldn’t expect to see Gazzaniga displace Hugo Lloris as Tottenham’s first-choice goalkeeper next season or beyond, it’s Pau Lopez’s departure that make a move for Gazzaniga somewhat understandable.
Pochettino has two experienced goalkeepers at his disposal in Lloris and Michel Vorm, but with Lopez returning to Espanyol at the end of his loan deal and Luke McGee sold to Portsmouth, Pochettino understandably wants a cheap third-choice goalkeeper in case of injuries.
He is therefore going back to sign a goalkeeper he knows and – judging by his comments in 2013 – trusts in Gazzaniga, with £2million loose change to Spurs. It’s not a signing that will set pulses racing in North London, but Pochettino has made it clear that a third-choice goalkeeper is important having signed Lopez last summer, and he seemingly feels that a reunion with Gazzaniga is the best way to replace the Spaniard this summer.
Would you like to see Spurs sign Gazzaniga?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
