Report: Spurs eying Jordan Pickford as Hugo Lloris replacement

If you’re already tired of reading about who might replace Hugo Lloris at Tottenham Hotspur, you’re in for a rough couple of months ahead of you. Hugo has been at Spurs for a decade, but his contract expires in June. While there’s a chance that the club could offer Lloris a short-term extension, there’s plenty of evidence that Spurs are looking around for who will inherit his place between the sticks.

According to the Telegraph, one potential option is Jordan Pickford. Antonio Conte is apparently targeting a British keeper as a long-term replacement, and the Everton and England No. 1 is being considered. Pickford has been the starting keeper for the England squad since 2018, and he was snaffled up by Everton the year prior from Sunderland for £25m. However, he’d almost certainly cost a lot more than that to get out of Merseyside, and Spurs would need to be very, VERY sure that he’s the one they want before they’d spend that kind of money. However, the Telegraph also states that Financial Fair Play rules are a concern at Everton, especially since they’ve pretty much spent money like drunken sailors the past few seasons, so they could be tempted to part with Pickford for a decent fee.

Honestly, spending big money on Pickford doesn’t excite me greatly. He’s fine, but he’s also prone to the occasional howler and I’m not sure he’s worth the astronomical cost it would take to bring him in. There are other English keepers out there that are pretty decent and wouldn’t cost around £50m. Most keepers would likely be a downgrade from Hugo, but there’s something to be said for someone like Dean Henderson or an equivalent goalkeeper substance who would also be a downgrade but whom would have a pretty high developmental ceiling. Then there’s Ajax keeper Andre Onana, who would’ve been perfect under Conte but whom has confirmed a free transfer move to Inter Milan this summer.

The tenor of the article suggests that Pickford is an option and not necessarily a primary target at this time, and there’s still a chance Spurs could kick the can down the road another year with Hugo should all parties be amenable to that. But Spurs are going to have to answer the Hugo Question™ at some point. And honestly, I’m still in the honeymoon phase with Conte, and if he determines that Pickford is the keeper that can kick Spurs to a new level with his tactics, then I’m not going to necessarily argue with it.