DONE DEAL: Paulo Gazzaniga heads to Elche on loan for the rest of the season

In search of playing time, goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga will spend the rest of the 2020-21 season away from Tottenham Hotspur and at La Liga’s Elche.

The Argentine will be tasked with helping Elche escape relegation from Spain’s top flight, as the team currently sits in 19th place. Elche is two points from safety, and Gazzaniga will be tasked with helping out a team that has conceded 26 goals in 19 league matches this season.

Gazzaniga has not played a competitive match since March of last year, in a 3-2 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. His playing time evaporated when Spurs were eliminated from cup competitions last year, but truly when José Mourinho opted to sign Joe Hart in August as Hugo Lloris’ primary backup.

Spurs did not confirmed if Elche have an option to permanently sign Gazzaniga at the end of the loan, but rumors of his departure have been around for months. In large part, they were brought on by Hart’s arrival but Gazzaniga will enter the final year of his Spurs contract in the summer. It makes a sale fairly likely, to Elche or otherwise, but obviously would not give Tottenham bargaining power in any negotiations.