Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham coach): “I had a good discussion with Hugo (Lloris). He has been an outstanding servant to this club for a long time. Captain of the club, he left an indelible mark on the Tottenham football club. I spoke with him and he told me that he was hoping to transfer somewhere else so he could play and start the next phase of his career.
I had a good discussion with him and left it up to him to decide if he wanted to travel, because I think he deserves that respect to decide his own future, because of his status. I’ve only had two or three talks with him, but even in training I can see that he’s not just an exceptional goalkeeper, but an exceptional human being as well. From my point of view, we had an open discussion and he simply felt that in the event of an imminent departure, it would be better for him, rather than taking him to the other side of the world, to stay on the ground training, work on it and prepare for his next opportunity. This in no way diminishes what he has brought to the club.
It’s the most difficult thing for a footballer to not be able to write his end. It’s probably not the way he wanted to end his career at Tottenham, with all that he brought, but at the same time, I don’t think we should take anything from it other than a positive outcome, in the sense that he leaves as someone who has left his mark at a very big football club, and I guess that’s what all players are looking for, in the end. »