Tottenham Hotspur could look to sign Jordan Pickford, even though Jose Mourinho appeared to have his doubts about the Everton goalkeeper.
What’s the story?
The Telegraph claim that Antonio Conte is pushing Tottenham to sign a new number one, with Pickford firmly in their sights.
Tottenham are looking for a replacement for Hugo Lloris, who is reaching the twilight of his career and only has a limited time remaining on his contract.
Pickford is apparently firmly in Conte’s sights, although it’s fair to say that it is a transfer which wouldn’t have happened under Mourinho.
In the summer Mourinho called for Pickford to be dropped before Euro 2020 started.
In the end the Everton stopper had a brilliant tournament, where he conceded just two goals throughout the whole competition.
However, Mourinho was still not particularly impressed by his displays.
He said after the semi-final to TalkSPORT: “I think he was the only one who showed signs of not being on the top of his game, being nervous.
“That urgency of playing immediately, even when the ball was in his hands he was always in a hurry. I think the guy has to relax, he has to cool down.”
Fair criticism?
Now, Pickford has always been highly strung and that has led to criticisms of his performances before.
There was a time when the reported Spurs target’s passion could spill over and have a negative impact on his decision making.
However, he has been very solid for Everton for a long period of time now and his performances for England have always been exceptional.
If Tottenham could land him, he would definitely be an upgrade on Lloris with the ball at his feet.
But Pickford would need to prove that he has got rid of his tendency to make rash mistakes once and for all, if he is to live up to the high standards set by Lloris over a number of years.
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