Tottenham have been reportedly blocked by the Premier League from signing Ben Foster as short-term cover for Hugo Lloris, with the Spurs captain set to be out for two months due to injury.
According to the Daily Mail, the north London side will need special dispensation to register a new player outside the transfer window, something the Premier League are unlikely to grant Tottenham for Foster given that the 39-year-old retired from football last season.
The former Watford goalkeeper has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham in recent weeks following on from news earlier in the month that Lloris is set to be out on the injury table until April at the latest, leaving Fraser Forster as Spurs’ only senior goalkeeper on the books.
The 34-year-old shot-stopper endured a rough re-introduction to Premier League life this weekend after Forster conceded four goals against Leicester City in an embarrassing 4-1 loss for Spurs, a game in which that saw Tottenham lose another major player in Rodrigo Bentancur to injury.
Indeed, with Foster a regular for Watford last season, the former England international could have been a shrewd signing for Tottenham had the Premier League rules allowed such a deal to go through. However, it now appears that Antonio Conte is stuck with what he currently has.
With Tottenham facing AC Milan this week in the UEFA Champions League, fans will be hopeful that Forster can regain his form quickly as Spurs look to make it pass the round of 16, though hope is now fading fast from supporters over another run in Europe.
Tottenham being blocked from signing Foster is a massive blow
Lloris could not have picked a worse time in the season to be out with a long-term injury, with Tottenham facing a mounting Premier League fixture list alongside a return to Europe and an FA Cup clash away to Sheffield United. And Spurs being blocked from signing Foster is nothing short of a massive blow.
As seen over the weekend, Forster will need some time before he is back up to speed playing between the sticks in the Premier League, and whilst Foster hasn’t played since last summer, the former Watford captain would have been an excellent option for Conte both on and off the pitch.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
