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There has been a bit of a shake-up among Tottenham’s goalkeepers this summer, and more changes could be coming soon.
According to a report from the Telegraph (£), former Spurs man Scott Parker wants to sign Paulo Gazzaniga for his Fulham squad as they return to the Premier League after one year in the Championship.
Fulham manager Scott Parker preparing move for Paulo Gazzaniga, writes @mcgrathmike https://t.co/tOK5nqg8y2
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) August 27, 2020
Gazzaniga has filled the backup role at Tottenham since he joined the club from Southampton back in August of 2017. Other than one or two mistakes, he has performed admirably when he has been called on to deputize for Hugo Lloris.
Lloris has dealt with a few injuries over the last few years, so Gazzaniga has actually played quite a bit. Last season, the Argentinian made 25 total appearances for Spurs.
Marek Rodák was Fulham’s main keeper as they finished fourth in the Championship and ultimately won the playoffs. Parker, who has already used his connections at Tottenham to bring in Josh Onomah on a permanent deal, could be wanting to upgrade on Rodák to a proven Premier League keeper like Gazzaniga.
From a Spurs point of view, this would be a risky move. Michel Vorm is no longer at the club, and Joe Hart has been very poor statistically over the last few years for a few different teams. His fall from grace at Manchester City happened quickly, and he really hasn’t done anything to bounce back since then. If Lloris has another season where he misses a few games, does Jose Mourinho really want to rely on Joe Hart to be the backup?
Relying on 2014 Joe Hart is one thing, but relying on 2020 Joe Hart is another thing completely. He’s 33-years-old and is clearly well past his prime. It’s safe to assume Spurs’ third keeper would be a youth player if this move goes through, which would leave Hart in a position to play quite a bit if Lloris is injured or lacking fitness.
There haven’t been any indications that Gazzaniga wants to move away from Spurs to become a first-choice keeper somewhere. If he wants to leave for more playing time, then this would make sense, otherwise, it seems like an unnecessary risk for the Tottenham squad, especially ahead of a season that will feature even more fixture congestion than usual.