This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Tottenham Hotspur need a new goalkeeper.
With Hugo Lloris currently injured and out until 2020, Paulo Gazzaniga is the current incumbent.
He has played well at times and is a thoroughly adequate shot-stopper when he is called upon on most occasions.
But on Wednesday, against Manchester United, he made a simply woeful mistake in the first half.
Marcus Rashford, excellent throughout the evening, took aim from the edge of the box and sent an effort towards the bottom corner.
It was at Gazzaniga’s near post and he should have saved it. He got hands to it but succeeded only in helping it against the post and into the back of the net.
Spurs, suddenly, had ground to make up.
It was a decisive error in a game that ultimately ended 2-1 as Rashford scored again from the penalty spot after being fouled in the box by Moussa Sissoko.
But the nature of the error, the softness of the save, the inability to do anything with the ball, even to palm it away or to gather it into his body, suggests that he is not the goalkeeper Spurs need.
Indeed, since stepping in as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, Gazzaniga has not kept a single Premier League clean sheet. Under Jose Mourinho’s management, he has conceded six in three games.
Lloris, naturally the first-choice and also the club captain, wasn’t much better when he was fit.
He kept one clean sheet in the league and conceded 10 times in eight games. While that isn’t quite as egregious as the numbers put up by Gazzaniga, it certainly isn’t good.
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With the January transfer window looming, one has to imagine that Mourinho is sizing up each player’s strengths and weaknesses and, really, the main issue comes in goal.
Buying an elite goalkeeper is difficult for even the top clubs and unearthing a stopper with the potential to be world-class is even harder; they’re as rare as rocking horse droppings.
Still, Spurs have to try. Gazzaniga’s error proved as much on Wednesday. He isn’t good enough and nor, really, is Lloris.
Bringing in a genuinely reliable No.1 has to be a priority.
Meanwhile, Man Utd missed a huge chance to bring in a former Spurs man.