Lille's French goalkeeper Mike Maignan kicks the ball during the ligue 1 match against PSG at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on November 22, 2019. (Getty Images)
According to The Sun, Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing a move for Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
The 24-year-old has emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in France following his move from PSG to Lille back in 2015. Since then, he has played 132 matches for the Ligue 1 side and has 42 clean sheets to his name.
However, his value skyrocketed since last season when he helped Lille climb to second in the league table following his eye-catching displays between the sticks.
He finished second behind Nice’s Walter Benitez in the list of keepers with the highest number of clean sheets last season, having managed 15 from 38 league games. Maignan emulated his performances from last season and kept an impressive 12 clean sheets from 28 league games in 2019/20 before coronavirus stopped play.
His excellent displays saw Lille finish fourth this season, conceding a mere 27 goals altogether. He has also emerged the best goalkeeper in the league alongside Stade Reim’s shot-stopper Predrag Rajkovic and Marseille’s Steve Mandada this season, who also have kept 12 clean sheets.
Having proved his potential with Lille in the last couple of years, it is not a big surprise Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham are interested in Maignan.
Tottenham have suffered a drastic dip in form that has seen them slip to a lowly tenth in the league table this season. One of the major reasons for their dismal show has been the poor form of their skipper Hugo Lloris, who has managed just four clean sheets from his 16 league appearances so far.
Lloris also suffered an injury midway into the season that kept him out of the side for a few months. However, he returned to action recently but has never really looked the keeper he once was. The veteran Frenchman has been Spurs’ obvious first-choice man between the sticks ever since his move from former side Lyon eight years ago.
However, the 33-year-old has started to show signs of ageing and it has been clearly evident in his displays this season. With their main man Lloris not at his best anymore, Tottenham should sign Maignan as a potential successor to 33-year-old.
With Spurs’ defensive weaknesses and goalkeeping errors clearly visible this term, it is high time that they replaced Lloris for the £16m-rated Maignan.
Apart from Lloris, Tottenham just have Paulo Gazzaniga and veteran Michel Vorm as a back-up. Both have failed to impress new boss Mourinho and a new face like Maignan is always a welcoming sign for a club like Tottenham. The young Frenchman has been in top form and would prove to be an ideal replacement for out-of-form main man Lloris.
