Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Premier League prevents Tottenham from completing emergency signing as unorthodox plan is verified

Antonio Conte after a Tottenham match

Tottenham Hotspur have been trying to register a new signing outside the transfer window, a second source has confirmed, but their plans have been denied by the Premier League.

The January transfer window closed at the end of the month, during which Tottenham signed Pedro Porro and Arnaut Danjuma. However, another area of need in their squad has since been exposed.

Recently, Tottenham lost their captain and starting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to injury. He could be out for up to eight weeks. Therefore, they have been looking at free agents whom they could bring in on an emergency basis.

Rather surprisingly, a report from the Daily Mirror last week named Ben Foster as one option they were targeting, despite the former Watford man announcing his retirement a few months earlier.

His decision came after Newcastle had also tried to take him on board. In turn, Tottenham have been the next club to try and get him back in the game.

Now, the Daily Mail has verified that Spurs have been working on a deal for Foster. Their update, though, reveals that the Premier League has blocked the signing.

Clubs need special dispensation to register new players outside a transfer window. In this case, Tottenham have not been given the league’s blessing.

Therefore, Foster will not be able to sign for Spurs. In turn, they will have to keep going with Fraser Forster as their main goalkeeper in Lloris’ absence.

Pressure on Forster, not Foster, ahead of important Tottenham run

At the weekend, Forster started their 4-1 loss to Leicester City. It was just his second league appearance – and fifth overall – since joining Tottenham from Southampton in the summer on a two-year contract.

Academy graduate Brandon Austin – who is 24 years old but has never played for their first team – was on the bench for the Leicester clash.

Alfie Whiteman, who has a similar story to Austin in terms of his age and lack of experience, was not in the squad.

If Lloris is to miss most of February and March, Forster will likely have to play in big games against AC Milan in the Champions League. Domestically, there are games against the likes of West Ham and Chelsea coming up, as well as an FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United.

In the long term, Tottenham are going to need to find more reliable goalkeepers. Lloris is unlikely to be number one next season, despite having another year left on his contract, while Forster isn’t a long-term option either.

And if Austin and Whiteman have got to this stage of their careers without ever making a dent on the first team, it is unlikely they ever will.

Hence, finding a new goalkeeper will be one of Tottenham’s priorities in the summer. It is unlikely Foster will be back on their radar, since he was only ever an emergency option. Thus, he should be able to continue enjoying his retirement.

The 39-year-old has been focusing on podcasting and YouTube content creation recently, after a playing career in which he represented the likes of Man Utd, Birmingham City, West Brom and the England national team.

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