Tottenham looks to Jan Oblak as Hugo Lloris long-term replacement

Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris has been the talk of the North London town ahead of an important city derby on Saturday this weekend. He is a major doubt for the early kick-off, as well as being a major doubt as the club’s captain and first-choice stopper beyond 2024, or even sooner.

The 10-year milestone is fast approaching and the goalkeeper’s future at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is considered to be coming to an end. His contract expires at the end of the 2023/2024 campaign and Spurs could look to cash in now rather than lose him for free; he recently signed a new deal with the London club in January.

With this in mind, they have identified Atletico de Madrid’s Jan Oblak as a successor to Lloris, if they do not look to extend his stay. At the end of his Spurs contract, he will be 37 years old, it could be the right time to cash in on him after the World Cup and use the funds to help bring in a shot-stopper of Oblak’s quality.

Report from Evening Standard on Tottenham’s interest:

"Lloris is in his 10th season at Spurs but he is expected to leave when his contract expires in 2024 and the club are making plans for life after the 35-year-old France World Cup winner.Tottenham have identified Oblak as a primary target to be their next No1 and have sounded out the Slovenian about a possible move for him next summer."

Jan Oblak’s situation at Athletico Madrid

Like Lloris, Jan has been in the Spanish capital for nearly a decade and seeks a new challenge perhaps. Added to this, the club’s hierarchy is willing to sell their world-class goalkeeper for a cut price after the season ends, as per reports.

This could entice Tottenham, even more, to make a move for him, with Oblak’s contract at Athletico running until 2028. The only obstacle in their way is the possibility of him joining Manchester United, who have been long-term admirers of the Slovenian.

"Tottenham could face competition for Oblak from Manchester United, who have asked to be kept informed about his situation amid doubts over the future of David de Gea. (via: standard.co.uk)"

In his nine seasons in La Liga, he has played 272 times, conceded 194 goals, and kept a mammoth 176 clean sheets. He has almost won it all under Diego Simeone and it could be time to move on and see if he can get that elusive Champions League trophy elsewhere.

Both men, Hugo Lloris and Jan Oblak have been involved in similar reports. They have long been the talk of an exit from their respective clubs at some point in time but then both signed new deals recently somewhere along the line.

All eyes are on the North London Derby for Tottenham

Tottenham has a big clash the weekend coming against city rivals Arsenal. There are some fitness concerns in Antonio Conte’s camp with Lloris being one of the players possibly missing from selection.

He being fit for the fixture is important to the result but the backup, Fraser Forster, will be able to do the job in his absence. Besides owning bragging rights in the Northern part of London, there is a vital three points up for grabs and a chance to sit in the driver’s seat heading into the next round of EPL fixtures.