It is quite possibly a reflection on Hugo Lloris’ understated approach to the Tottenham captaincy that Harry Kane is so often assumed to wear the armband.
In the decade since the goalkeeper joined from Lyon, he has made close to 400 appearances. The 391st came against Crystal Palace on Boxing Day, the day he turned 35, but as it stands there are no guarantees about how many more he will make.
From January, Lloris will be able to speak to enter into talks with clubs overseas as his contract standoff with Spurs continues. Antonio Conte has been coy about whether the board intend to offer him an extension, offering only platitudes about “what I think about him and what the club thinks about him”.
“Now we’ll see but I think Hugo won’t be ever a problem for Tottenham,” Conte said. “Hugo is our captain, he is a player that played for Tottenham for many years and we are all happy to have him in our team, in the squad and in the dressing room.”
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Historically, Tottenham have been reluctant to reward new contracts of more than a year to players in their 30s. There are recent cautionary tales too, like Toby Alderweireld, who penned a new deal at the end of 2019, only to be sold halfway through it for just £13m after a series of injuries and a deterioration in his performances.
There is little room for manoeuvre regarding pay. For a long time, Lloris was the only Spurs player to earn six figures a week. That has chanced since Harry Kane’s last extension and the signing of Tanguy Ndombele, the duo joining him in the highest bracket.
However, if Daniel Levy is to sanction a new contract it will not be out of blind loyalty or as recognition for the stopper’s perseverance through a turbulent decade. There is a sense that where so many of his contemporaries – Kyle Walker and Christian Eriksen – have left seeking trophies, or have at least tried to – Harry Kane – Lloris has stayed faithful and has been rewarded in return.
In 2018, Mauricio Pochettino stuck by the Frenchman amid calls for him to be stripped of the captaincy following his arrest for drink-driving. Aside from that indiscretion his record has been exemplary off the pitch and on it, his numbers are almost unrivalled.
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It’s testament to his longevity too that he has now outlasted five managers – Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo. Having hinted his future could depend on Spurs’ standing, it is well-timed that Conte has revived the dressing room and made staying on a more attractive proposition than it was in the summer.
Unlike the majority of his teammates, his hunger for silverware, which has so far gone unsatisfied in north London, is mitigated by his achievements elsewhere. The Frenchman is a World Cup winner and has also lifted the Nations League, as well as a Coupe de France in his final season with Lyon.
Natural though it is that he is considering his options, as Spurs consider theirs, Conte will be conscious of the lack of an obvious successor. When Tottenham bought Pierluigi Gollini in the summer, he was envisaged as a potential long-term replacement but has struggled to impress when called upon in the Conference League.
What it may ultimately come down to is who needs each other more and, on current form, Spurs would be remiss to relinquish a goalkeeper who can still be counted among the best in the world.
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