Hugo Lloris is a world class keeper who we should all be proud to have at Tottenham. Furthermore, he captains our side with dignity, class and we never have to worry about him putting the Club in a negative light. So why do I, and many other Tottenham fans, struggle to feel the same connection with him in comparison with many of his less talented teammates?
Don't believe that Lloris and Tottenham fans have a disconnect? Let me ask you, do you believe that Hugo Lloris is committed to Tottenham? Do you believe he cares about the Club in the same way as Ryan Mason or Danny Rose do now? How about Sandro a few years ago? Of course not, we see his measured statements and responses as a clear sign that he will leave us sooner rather than later. We do view him as more of an employee as opposed to being one of our own.
The first thing many will jump to as the reason is Lloris' French nationality. There is no denying that a certain rift exists between France and England ideologically for a variety of reasons that aren't worth going into here. Yet, I don't see that ideological gap preventing other Premier League fan bases from embracing French players. Newcastle and now, Palace fans, have been quite supportive of Yohan Cabaye for example. Even at Tottenham our fans have formed a very special connection with midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, who only recently chose to represent Algeria over France. In short, Hugo Lloris being French is not to blame for the distance between he and our fans.
So we must get to the real reason of the disconnect. Hugo is just too much of a politician. His comments in the media drain our affection for our keeper over time. He is the subject of frequent transfer speculation and never comes out with a firm denial of interest in other clubs. Nor does he ever come out and fully commit his future to Tottenham. Instead, his comments always stop just short of what we want to hear. Our captain never says I'm fully committed to Tottenhan without the phrase "at the moment" follow quickly behind. He won't say in the press that he is not interested in playing for Manchester United without ruling out future interest. His comments always leave the door cracked just enough for him to be able to leave Tottenham without being accused of lying. It's this measured rhetoric that builds that wall between he and fans.
That carefully worded communication doesn't make Hugo a bad person or even a player I don't want to stay at Tottenham. All but the most ridiculous of our fans can recognize his quality. What that hesitancy to fully commit does mean is that our fans won't ever attach themselves to Lloris like we do other players. He will be regarded as one of our best keepers ever, but barring a significant philosophical shift he will never be a Club legend.
He's a professional footballer; he wants to be among the best and if Tottenham cant help to achieve his dreams, then he'll go elsewere.But you can be sure that he'll give his best during his stay at Tottenham. Having homegrown players is a dream for every club, Lyon is a good exemple, but for a competitor as Lloris silverware is essential. Also his heart's club is and will always be , his hometown club, OGC Nice. His dream is to finish his career at home, so let's take advantage of his stay without looking for eternal commitement.After all, players come and go, but the CLUB stay tall since 1882; nevertheless Hugo is worth of the fans love, for all the good things he gives to us, transfer projects or not.
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