Veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will join Tottenham for more than 11 years. The most likely destination is Major League Soccer (MLS) and Los Angeles (LA) FC. With Lloris gone, only Son Heung-min will be left to play at the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in Tottenham’s history.
According to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano and local media on the 30th (Korea Standard Time), Lloris will leave Tottenham in the winter transfer market in January next year and join LAFC. He will be accompanied 11 and a half years after moving to Tottenham after leaving Olympique Lyonnais in August 2012. A transfer through oral agreement was agreed upon, and only the finishing touches were made through paperwork. If Lloris signs the contract, his transfer to LAFC is expected to become official. Lloris’ contract with Tottenham is scheduled to expire in June next year, and Lloris is currently separated from Tottenham by “out-of-strength”, so joining LAFC through free agency is more likely than a transfer that requires a transfer fee.
Lloris has been a key player since his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. He has played a whopping 447 matches as a Tottenham Hotspur player, including 361 matches and Cup championships. He has served as captain since 2015 and led the team. However, due to his young age, his performance drastically declined, ultimately losing ground to his capacity. Originally, Lloris sought to transfer to the team last summer, but failed to find a new destination, failing to sit on the bench in official matches such as this season’s EPL and Cup championships.
It is for the same reason that he, who is worthy of his name in the club legend, looks sad at his departure as if he were kicked out instead of being applauded. The British bootroom added, “It is very sad that Lloris is on the verge of leaving the team when he looks back on his career at Tottenham. If he leaves, the club and fans will pay tribute to his career that has been going on for more than 11 years.” 스포츠토토
With Lloris also leaving, Son Heung-min is the only Tottenham member who started the UEFA Champions League final in the 2018-19 season. Coincidentally, Son Heung-min has been leading the team since this season by taking over the captain’s armband instead of Lloris. British B/R Football also reported that Lloris will leave Tottenham for LAFC, and highlighted that Son Heung-min is the only one left in the best 11 Champions League finals in 2019.
Under current Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham launched a 4-2-3-1 formation in which Son Heung-min, Dele Alli, and Christian Eriksen were in the second line, starting with Harry Kane in the final match against Liverpool. Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko were in the midfield, while Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier were in the defensive line. The goalkeeper was Lloris. Tottenham, which was trying to win its first-ever championship, lost to Liverpool 0-2 and missed the title.
Players who started in the finals at the time left one after another. Center back Vertonghen played for Benfica (Portugal) in the 2020-21 season and is currently playing for Anderlecht (Belgium). Anderbeyrld also played for Alduhyle (Qatar) in the 2021-22 season and is currently defending the Royal Antwerp (Belgium).
Rose is also a member of Watford (England second division) from the 2021-22 season after being loaned to Newcastle United, and Trippier is currently playing for Newcastle after playing for Atletico Madrid (Spain) immediately after the UEFA Champions League final. Sissoko, who maintained her midfield, is playing for Nantes (France) through Watford, and Winks is playing for Leicester City (England second division) through Sampdoria (Italy).
All of the strikers who formed the so-called DESK line also left the team except for Son Heung-min. Eriksen has played Inter Milan (Italy), Brentford and Manchester United (England). Alli returned to Everton after playing Everton (England) and Besiktasi (rental), but he has played zero matches in this season’s EPL. Kane, who had built a two-top league with Son, moved to Bayern Munich (Germany) ahead of this season and is currently living with Kim Min-jae. He has already scored 21 goals and five assists in 15 Bundesliga matches.
Most of the players who played in the Champions League finals or sat on the bench left the team. Lucas Moura, who was substituted, is a member of Sao Paulo (Brazil), and Fernando Llorente, who retired from Eibar (Spain Part II) in 2022. Among the three substitutes, only Erik Dier is still a member of Tottenham. Davinson Sanchez (Galatasaray), Erik Lamela (Seville), Victor Wanyama (Montreal Impact), Paulo Gasaniga (Girona) all left in search of their respective teams. Only Ben Davies, who sat on the bench, is still wearing Tottenham uniforms.
