Hugo Lloris Is Better Than Brad Friedel And Will Soon Be Spurs Number 1 – Former Manchester United Goalkeeper Fabian Barthez

Friday, 21st September, 2012

Former France goalkeeper Fabian Barthez believes that Hugo Lloris should have been welcomed as the world class shot-stopper he is when he signed for Tottenham Hotspur.

Lloris was snapped up by Spurs on the final day of the summer transfer window, for the bargain price of just €12M from French giants Lyon.

relatedNewsStory The transfer had taken some weeks to thrash out and while Lloris was relieved to have finally landed at White Hart Lane, he was at once presented with boss Andre Villas-Boas insisting American goalkeeper Brad Friedel was still Spurs’ number 1.

Friedel then reaffirmed his quality with a superb performance against Norwich City, while Spurs full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto told Lloris he may face a long spell as number 2.

Lloris was handed a starting opportunity against Lazio in the Europa League last night, but for Barthez, who played for Manchester United, the 25-year-old should be appreciated properly at White Hart Lane.

"Nothing surprises me in the world of football. We’re talking about Hugo here", Barthez told Le Parisien.

"He deserved the same reception as [Zlatan Ibrahimovic at PSG] when he arrived at Tottenham", he added.

And Barthez stressed that Lloris is, in his opinion, a far better performer than Friedel.

"He is one of the best five goalkeepers in the world.

"Tottenham will not leave him on the bench for long."

Lloris clocked up a clean sheet against Lazio last night, but it remains to be seen whether he will be named in Spurs’ side to face QPR in the Premier League on Sunday.