Tottenham have a big decision to make about Hugo Lloris

Hugo Lloris’ most recent goalkeeping gaffe cost Tottenham a crucial two points at Anfield. Will Spurs move on from the Frenchman this summer?

Tottenham looked poised to earn a valuable point at Liverpool until Hugo Lloris fumbled a tame cross resulting in a decisive own goal against Spurs. Unfortunately, it’s not the French captain’s first high-profile error of the season. His propensity to make the giant mistake may ultimately be his undoing at Spurs.

Some Tottenham fans would like to see manager Mauricio Pochettino give Paulo Gazzaniga the start on Wednesday against Crystal Palace, but there’s no chance of that happening. Lloris has earned the right to start the club’s first fixture at the new stadium. In truth, unless Lloris endures several more nightmares down the stretch of this campaign he’ll remain firmly entrenched as the starter until the summer arrives.

That’s when Tottenham may actually have a choice to make. At some point they will need to make a significant investment to acquire Lloris’ successor.

It’s really the cruelest twist of irony that Lloris is starting to play his worst football just as Tottenham try to make their ascent into the European elite. For years he was the standout keeper that helped to cover up a multitude of mistakes committed by the questionable team in front of him. Lloris deserves credit from Tottenham fans for sticking with the club when he could easily chosen to leave for more glory elsewhere.

That doesn’t mean Pochettino and company can afford to stick with him as long as he wants to stay with the club. Tottenham now have an excellent group of centre backs to deploy ahead of Lloris every time out. Now it’s accurate to say that the French keeper lets down his club more than his defence puts him in impossible situations.

In the end, the safe bet is to assume that Lloris will be given every opportunity to keep his place in Pochettino’s starting XI. Tottenham need to invest a lot of money into their squad this summer and the club have bigger priorities than finding a new keeper. The cost of replacing him is likely going to earn Lloris a big reprieve this summer.