Hugo Lloris says he’s willing to leave Spurs this summer

Hugo Lloris’ injury means that Spurs never got a chance to give a proper send-off to him — his last match was that brain-bleaching loss to Newcastle where he got subbed off at halftime. And although he still has one more year left on his current Tottenham Hotspur contract, all signs are pointing towards him leaving the club this summer.

Now, Hugo’s basically confirmed that he’s ready to go. In a French language interview with nicematin.com, Hugo called this summer “the end of an era” and didn’t rule out a return to Nice, a club that he loves and where he came up through the academy.

“We are coming to an important moment, whether for the club or for me. It’s the end of an era. I have desires for other things. I will wait quietly to see what will be possible. But I don’t forget that I still have a year left on my Tottenham contract and that in football it is always difficult to predict what will happen. What is essential at the moment is to recover well from my injury. I am on vacation but I continue to talk and do my training. My goal is to be at the top in July, we will then see what the future holds.”

Hugo also talked about what a grind this season was in particular, which included a winter World Cup sandwiched in between a very long league season. He indicated that he struggled with fitness and form during this past year, but still thinks he has the skills to be an effective keeper for years.

“You can’t go from a successful World Cup to being an average player in a few months. I experienced a few hard knocks, I was a little irregular in my performance, injured myself twice. I came out of the World Cup quite dull. The rhythm had been hellish before that. It is the first time in my career that I have been unavailable. But I am well in my mind, in my body. This period will bring me freshness to make me happy again in effort, performance, work. The most important thing is to find a project in which I flourish, in Tottenham among others.”

Hugo also didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to Nice, which he still considers his home.

“Nice is my city, my club, my roots. There is a season that should end, as best as possible, with the guards in place. I am not a plaintiff, I never forced things. We will see where fate takes me. I am delighted to be invited to the Allianz Riviera against Lyon. I will see former coaches, former teammates. I really want to take advantage of this moment.”

If you’re a Spurs fan of a certain age you may not know a Tottenham Hotspur without Hugo. The end of an era is certainly correct — it’s unusual to see a player last a decade at a club anymore, especially a keeper. That’s Hugo. Whatever else you think of him and his performances this past season or two, he’s been an outstanding servant of the club. It does sound like it’s time to start saying your goodbyes.