By Noel Whelan

4th Feb, 2023 | 9:00am

Tottenham 'laying the groundwork' for Hugo Lloris upgrade as £44m deal agreed - pundit

Noel Whelan has insisted Tottenham must now turn their attention to replacing Hugo Lloris after finally adding a new right wing-back in top target Pedro Porro last month.

The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 36-year-old is making “far too many mistakes” to remain the first-choice option.

Tottenham announced the signing of Porro on transfer deadline day (31 January), with Sky Sports claiming the Londoners will pay an eventual fee of £44million for his services.

The right-back berth has been a source of frustration for Antonio Conte, with Djed Spence, Matt Doherty, and Emerson Royal all failing to make the grade under his stewardship.

Lloris has dropped a number of high-profile clangers so far this season, including in the home derby clash with Arsenal last month.

Tottenham are fifth in the Premier League – three points adrift of a Champions League place.

Whelan told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I think we’ve seen far too many mistakes in Lloris’ game recently.

“Conte’s taken care of an area he has been looking at since coming to the club, and I think goalkeeper will be the next area on his list.

“Lloris’ errors stand out like a striker missing chances, and it has become a real issue for Spurs.

“He’s got his man at right wing-back, so absolutely – Tottenham have got to start looking.

“Goalkeepers are as important as strikers. If you find a top-class one, it’s like gold dust.

“You’ve got to move quickly to find these kinds of players – and they should already be laying the groundwork ahead of the summer.”

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