Paulo Gazzaniga could push Hugo Lloris at Tottenham

New Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga could serve as future competition for Hugo Lloris or even as Lloris’ replacement down the road.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris can be a frustrating player, if only because his quality makes his occasional miscues so aggravating. The 30-year-old sometimes appears to second-guess himself when he comes off his line, and his ability to stop shots is questioned when he allows tallies such as the one scored by Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso late in Sunday’s affair at Wembley Stadium when the ball went between Lloris’ legs two minutes from time.

With that said, Lloris remains one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League regardless of criticisms lobbed his way this week. Those who have followed his career since he joined Tottenham in 2012 probably recall the numerous times he has rescued points for Spurs throughout his tenure with the club. He’s well-respected among those in the squad, he’s the captain and a mainstay who is signed up through 2022. In short, Spurs are lucky to have Lloris.

Concerns about depth and competition in the squad have hovered over Tottenham since even before the end of the 2016-17 campaign, which is why the club acquiring Paulo Gazzaniga from Southampton makes sense for the now and the future. Gazzaniga, 25 years old, reunites with manager Mauricio Pochettino, his former boss when both were members of the Saints.

Sarthak Kumar offered the following on Gazzaniga for Cartilage Free Captain:

"No player is perfect – and neither is Paulo. His decision-making on one-on-ones is improving, but is very much a work in progress. He doesn’t commit as much as a goalkeeper should – in a division where passes behind the defense are commonplace. And his positioning, especially when defending shots from the wing, needs work too."

As Kumar wrote, Gazzaniga is far from a finished product. Truth be told, that probably makes him all the more appealing to Pochettino, who knows, as well as anybody out there, what he is getting in the goalkeeper. For better or for worse, Pochettino always has one eye fixed on projects for the future while at the same time attempting to achieve positive results during current campaigns.

Lloris isn’t going anywhere, even if there are some analysts out there who, hilariously and foolishly, believe Tottenham could somehow get better at the position. Barring a physical setback or some other unforeseen calamity, Lloris is going to be the Tottenham No. 1 up through 2019, at least.