Tottenham Hotspur are allegedly closing in on the Southampton stopper but why bother?
According to the the Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are moving for Southampton goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga in a £2million deal. But when you consider the recent rumours linking Pau Lopez with a permanent Spurs switch, the latest report makes little sense.
Lopez spent last season on loan at White Hart Lane, and while he did not make a first-team appearance it was widely expected that he would remain at Tottenham for the long term, ultimately acting as backup to Hugo Lloris.
After a glut of conflicting reports, Spanish publication Sport claimed Tottenham opted not to sign Lopez for a cut-price £2million deal this summer, with the player set to leave for free in just 12 months.
But with Lloris the undisputed number one at Tottenham, and second-choice ‘keeper Michel Vorm having a year left on his remaining contract, it seemed sensible to wait, allow the Dutchman to leave next summer and bring in Lopez for nothing.
Even if Tottenham were prepared to spend £2million on a new stopper, Lopez is a better option than Gazzaniga this summer.
The Argentine has managed just three clean sheets in 23 appearances for Southampton and looks destined to be a backup at best, at least in the Premier League.
In contrast Lopez is three years younger and was featuring regularly for Espanyol when he was barely out of his teens.
The long-term future of Vorm should be the deciding factor here, with Lopez a much better option to replace the Dutchman as a number two.
The Spaniard is more than capable of ultimately stepping up when Lloris is unavailable or – later in his career – moves on all together. In contrast Gazzaniga looks like being something of a journeyman stopper, solving short-term problems rather than staking a claim as a future starter for a top Premier League side.
Tottenham should save their money this summer and sign Lopez for nothing in a year or they should have paid the £2million for the Spaniard weeks ago.
After all, at this point in the summer they should be focusing on strikers and wingers, not third-choice ‘keepers.
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