Hugo Lloris says he was “pushed aside” at Tottenham during the final few months of his time at the club.
The goalkeeper ended an eleven-year spell with Spurs in December by joining MLS side LAFC but had not played for the club since the humiliating 6-1 Premier League defeat at Newcastle more than six months earlier.
Lloris stated his desire to leave north London that summer amid interest from Lazio and Nice, although he remained a Tottenham player.
Ange Postecoglou then replaced the Frenchman as the club’s captain, with Heung-min Son instead taking the armband for the season just gone.
Postecoglou often talked up Lloris’ professionalism but installed summer signing Guglielmo Vicario as his first-choice ‘keeper, with Fraser Forster and academy graduate Brandon Austin acting as back-up.
Lloris left as the eighth-highest appearance-maker in Tottenham’s history after spending 12 season in N17, leading them into two League Cup and one Champions League final.
Addressing the manner of his exit, the 37-year-old said he returned from the 2022 World Cup too soon and struggled to recapture his form.
“I started again too soon, too hard. I was exhausted and only had four days to recharge,” he told Le Parisien.
“I was having trouble reconnecting, getting back into my routine, finding motivation. The World Cup came too soon after the championship break, and the championship resumed too soon after the World Cup.
“In January, I knew it was going to be difficult, I was going to have to grit my teeth, but I planned to rely on the collective. But there, my teammates were in the same state of psychological fatigue as me, and it got to me. I took refuge in work, thinking that things would be better in February. Except that, when my sensations returned, my body gave up.
“It was a combination of several factors: the team was lacking results and the coach, under pressure, was losing patience. Therefore, the group dynamic was negative.”
Even before his eventual departure, Lloris added he could see the writing on the wall, saying he felt “transparent” during his final few months with the club.
“Tottenham were coming to the end of a cycle, and so was I. I knew that Tottenham wanted to recruit younger players, especially in my position. Summer was approaching and I was no longer part of the plans.
“When the championship resumed, in August 2023, the coach informed me that I would no longer enter the field, that I would only be a training player. I was pushed aside, I had become transparent.”
