Player Watch - Fraser Forster

[THFCSPURS19]

Apologies for my tardiness.

Tottenham look to sign Southampton's Forster

Tottenham have made England international Fraser Forster their preferred candidate to be Hugo Lloris's back-up next season, The Athletic understands. Forster's contract at St Mary's expires at the end of the season. It was revealed by The Athletic last weekend that Southampton would...

theathletic.com

Tottenham look to sign Southampton's Fraser Forster as Hugo Lloris back-up​

Tottenham have made England international Fraser Forster their preferred candidate to be Hugo Lloris's back-up next season, The Athletic understands.

Forster's contract at St Mary's expires at the end of the season. It was revealed by The Athletic last weekend that Southampton would be letting the 34-year-old leave in the summer.

Spurs have now made him a target as they look to rebuild their squad in the summer and will seek to agree a deal to bring him to north London next week, once the Premier League season is over.

Current back-up Pierluigi Gollini is set to leave when his loan from Atalanta finishes, and Spurs want to replace the Italian with a homegrown option.

Forster is expected to miss the club’s final game against Leicester and is believed to have said goodbye to his team-mates on Thursday.

Forster has played 134 Premier League games for Southampton since moving to the club from Celtic in 2014. The England international has also won six caps for his country.

He has been first-choice for most of the second half of the season under Ralph Hasenhuttl as Alex McCarthy suffered a hamstring injury in December.

 

[jondy1]

Not for me prefer Sam Johnston

 

[TheChosenOne]

Not for me prefer Sam Johnstone

Who I understand is also available on a free ?

 

[jondy1]

Who I understand is also available on a free ?

I think he is yes

 

[Gbspurs]

I don't really care, both would be back up and the only real criteria is that they are cheap and homegrown.

 

[paulcumpstone]

I dont mind an aging goalkeeper being brought in purely because hes homegrown but to me thats more a 3rd choice goalkeeper. For me we need a proper good goalkeeper that is capable of pushing hugo and eventually becoming the number 1.

 

[GutBucket]

Don't care too much about backup GK but I would prefer someone better, Liverpool lost CL final because they underrated it.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I dont mind an aging goalkeeper being brought in purely because hes homegrown but to me thats more a 3rd choice goalkeeper. For me we need a proper good goalkeeper that is capable of pushing hugo and eventually becoming the number 1.

I would guess our 2nd choice goalkeeper is relatively low priority this summer, as we have other more urgent areas to improve. If we sign a fairly solid homegrown back-up 'keeper on free transfer now, it can always be revisited next summer.

IMO, our limited transfer funds and limited non-HG squad spaces probably need to be focused on two wing-backs, one CB (ideally LCB), a CM (ideally more creative than our current options) and 1-2 attacking players (back-up CF + winger, or one versatile forward). If signing Forster / Johnstone helps to facilitate this, I'm all for it.

 

[roy@SC]

I don't really care, both would be back up and the only real criteria is that they are cheap and homegrown.

Would you still think that if Hugo breaks a collar bone 1st game nest season?

 

[Gbspurs]

Would you still think that if Hugo breaks a collar bone 1st game nest season?

I think that either of these players would be fine. Not many teams in the league who have a 2nd choice keeper nearly as good as the first.

 

[WiganSpur]

Surely we don't prefer Forster to Johnstone? Only way I see this happening is if we have 3 keepers but I can't see them both agreeing to that.

 

[Yiddo100]

Surely we don't prefer Forster to Johnstone? Only way I see this happening is if we have 3 keepers but I can't see them both agreeing to that.

What if Johnstone got a #1 offer at another club, could easily if changed his mind

 

[kthwlsn]

Forster looks like a mid-level villain in a Guy Ritchie movie.

 

[TheChosenOne]

What if Johnstone got a #1 offer at another club, could easily if changed his mind

G.Rangers are supposed to be after him

 

[amathews3416]

Backup GK not something we need to be spending lots of money on with other needs. I think Forster on a free would be quality business. He has CL experience many years with Celtic and has proven he can do a job in the Prem. I quite like mammoth GK’s myself and at 6’7” he is quite intimidating between the sticks.

 

[Serpico]

I dont mind an aging goalkeeper being brought in purely because hes homegrown but to me thats more a 3rd choice goalkeeper. For me we need a proper good goalkeeper that is capable of pushing hugo and eventually becoming the number 1.

Agree
Do we want the finished keeper or a keeper who can improve. Forster would be a very good back up, not sure why he would want to play second fiddle. I like nick Pope, he would be better and could become number one moving forward IMO. Foster is what you get now, no more .

 

[whitechina]

Both Forster and Johnstone would be great if we get CL
Hugo can't play every game in both CL and PL
As both are free and homegrown I say both if they're willing to duke it out

 

[alexis]

I dont mind an aging goalkeeper being brought in purely because hes homegrown but to me thats more a 3rd choice goalkeeper. For me we need a proper good goalkeeper that is capable of pushing hugo and eventually becoming the number 1.

Maybe not the priority this window

 

[SpursSteveLincs]

Why would we buy a 34 year old back up when Johnstone is available on a free and is 5 years younger I think

 

[dtxspurs]

Why would we buy a 34 year old back up when Johnstone is available on a free and is 5 years younger I think

Johnstone wants to go somewhere else. I think it’s clear we’re not picking Forster over him.