You always need to have a plan to replace some of your ageing stars, and Hugo Lloris does turn 35 next season so he won’t be around forever.
It’s a tough situation because he’s still the obvious starter and there’s no sign of an immediate exit for the Frenchman, so this deal could actually make a lot of sense:
Tottenham are set to sign Pierluigi Gollini from Atalanta as new goalkeeper, confirmed and here we go! ???? #THFC
Details: loan until 2022 + option to extend the loan until 2023 + buy option for Spurs [€15m].
Buy option could become obligation in case of some targets achieved.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 19, 2021
Gollini will be known to Aston Villa fans after a season with them a few years ago, but he’s been impressive for Atalanta over the past couple of seasons and he looks like he’s ready for another crack at the Premier League.
The structure of this deal means he can come in as the apparent replacement for Lloris, but they can do it in a way where the long-serving keeper is gradually phased out if Gollini proves he’s good enough.
At this point it’s only an option to buy so if he’s not good enough then they can cut their losses and send him back, while if he plays enough to turn it into an obligation to buy then he’s clearly done enough to play regularly in the side.
It will be interesting to see if he’s up to the task, but having the option to keep Lloris and gradually introduce a successor does look smart compared to simply letting him go and hoping the new man will be good enough straight away.