Tottenham Hotspur’s season is effectively over, even when it returns to action – whenever that may be.
The north London outfit are out of all cup competitions and have sunk to seven-points adrift of the top four in the Premier League with only nine games remaining.
Jose Mourinho, who was only appointed in November, inherited the majority of this current squad – pretty much every player barring January additions Gedson Fernandes and Steven Bergwijn.
And with a few players seemingly headed for the exit door at Tottenham Way, this summer could spell the real start of the ‘Jose Mourinho era’ at Spurs.
The Portuguese chief would be wise to begin with a defensive overhaul, and where better to start than the marshal of the backline – the goalkeeper.
Hugo Lloris has been a frequent presence between the sticks for Spurs since joining eight years ago, he’s gone on to notch 316 appearances, but the long-serving stopper has been rather error-prone this campaign, and with him not getting any younger at 33, his replacement must be found soon.
According to Football.London, Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope could be an option for Mourinho – a player that was once targeted by former boss Mauricio Pochettino, as per the Mirror.
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The England international could be the perfect figure to spearhead a new-look defence next season as no other glovesman has kept more clean sheets in the Premier League than Pope (11).
Spurs have the worst defensive record of any side in the top ten with the north Londoners only managing four shutouts themselves between the Frenchman and his backup Paulo Gazzaniga.
Clarets boss Sean Dyche has described the 27-year-old as a “big monster” whose best asset is claiming crosses – something that Lloris has struggled with as seen at Villa Park when he spilt the ball for Mbwana Samatta to score back in February.
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“A goalkeeper can bring a calmness to a team,” Dyche added, which is something Spurs have lacked in the Frenchman’s presence, and therefore, it makes Pope an ideal candidate to come in and take the reins.
Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker-Peters could all be on their way out, but to lessen the void, Mourinho must bring in a shot-stopper of Pope’s quality.
AND in other news, Alasdair Gold update on Spurs’ link to Philippe Coutinho…