Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen on a move for Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan. It is being reported by Le10 Sport that Jose Mourinho is a big fan of the player and is apparently prepared to let Spurs captain Hugo Lloris to facilitate the deal.
It would certainly be an eye-catching arrival. Maignan has been one of Europe’s more consistent goalkeepers in recent seasons and Lloris’ recent form has not left Tottenham fans feeling confident in the Frenchman’s abilities. He would not be cheap, with The Mirror suggesting a value of €35 million (£31m) in 2019
Of course, Maignan will be known by some of Tottenham’s coaching staff. When Mourinho took over from Mauricio Pochettino in November he brought with him two of Lille’s main coaching staff. Joao Sacramento and Nuno Santos arrived at Spurs as assistant coach and goalkeeping coach respectively.
The departure of Santos, in particular, left Maignan stung. The Tottenham target took to Twitter after Santos’ departure, stating “I do not have the words to say what I feel. But thank you very much and good luck’, hashtagging Santos as a ‘crazyman’.
J’ai pas les mots pour dire ce que je ressens… Mais merci beaucoup et bonne chance #crazyman ? pic.twitter.com/Yb2JbrDyMf
— Mike Maignan (@mmseize) November 20, 2019
Speaking to L’Equipe last year, Maignan revealed that Santos told him he would make him the ‘best goalkeeper’ in Ligue 1 when he arrived at the French club in 2018.
“He settled in front of me, and he was clear. He said, ‘I’m going to make you the best goalkeeper in the league.’ Word for word. Also (Santos said) ‘my goal is that you go to the France team at the end of the season.’ He knew exactly how it was going to happen. And he was right.”
Maignan went on to improve exponentially under Santos’ guidance. Indeed, Santos succeeded. Maignan was named the Ligue 1 goalkeeper of the year in 2018-19. Undoubtedly, Santos’ presence at Tottenham will be a factor in any potential move to North London.
Tottenham fans should hope so. When it comes to taking over from Lloris as Tottenham’s undisputed number one, there are few better options than his countryman.