Spurs are hoping to beat Watford and Brighton in order to bring Espanyol’s Pau Lopez back for a second spell in the Premier League.
Just 12 months after leaving Espanyol for Tottenham Hotspur, Pau Lopez probably didn’t expect to be returning to Catalonia to begin another season of La Liga football.
Spurs signed the Spanish shot-stopper on a season-long loan from Espanyol in the summer of 2016, but he quickly became the London club’s forgotten man. Despite starring between the sticks in La Liga in 2015/16, emerging as Spain’s latest fresh-faced goalkeeping talent, Lopez didn’t manage a single senior appearance for Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino.
With Hugo Lloris first-choice and Michel Vorm as back-up, Lopez was left in the reserves. And although Pochettino was said to be sufficiently impressed to make the deal permanent, The Hertfordshire Mercury reported that the offer of just £2 million was nowhere near enough to tempt Espanyol into a sale.
In a bizarre twist, however, Spurs are understood to be keen to bring Lopez back to England when his Espanyol contract expires at the end of this season. Brighton, who Sky Sports claim the 22-year-old rejected in the summer, are also understood to be interested.
With Matt Ryan struggling to convince since his summer move from Valencia and doubts remaining about whether Tim Krul can roll back the years, Lopez could finally find first-team football in the Premier League with The Seagulls.
And while Tottenham is a tempting destination for many a young player, you wonder whether Lopez’s lack of opportunities last season will make him think twice about a return to North London.
After all, Lloris is still likely to be first choice for the foreseeable future. And, as Lopez has proved during another impressive run of form as Espanyol’s number one, he’s wasted in the reserves.
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