Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak during the warm up before the match
Tottenham Hotspur‘s existing relationship with Atletico Madrid could give them an advantage in their negotiations to sign goalkeeper Jan Oblak, according to reports from Spain.
The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing a new goalkeeper
Tottenham are looking to bring in a replacement for Hugo Lloris in the summer, with the Frenchman now 36 years old and putting in some very poor performances, making a litany of errors in defeats to Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City last month.
Spurs have been linked with moves for the likes of Jordan Pickford and David Raya, while it also transpired that they were considering an ambitious offer for Oblak in November, and it appears as though he remains a subject of interest.
The Latest: Oblak still an option
According to Spanish outlet Marca (via Sport Witness), Tottenham have built up a positive relationship with Atletico in recent times, having loaned Sergio Reguilon to the La Liga club and released Matt Doherty to allow him to complete a move to the Spanish capital.
As such, Spurs are hoping that these favours could give them a boost in their bid to sign the Slovenian, while the report claims that winger Yannick Carrasco may also be targeted.
The Verdict: Get it done
Previously hailed as a ‘beast‘ by BT Sport presenter Reshmin Chowdhury, the 30-year-old has kept the joint-fourth highest number of clean sheets in La Liga this season, with seven to his name already.
Atletico team-mate Koke lauded the 6 foot 1 shot-stopper as ‘the best goalkeeper in the world’ less than a year ago, and Oblak has been a vital player for the Rojiblancos across a number of seasons, playing in every La Liga match in the previous three full campaigns.
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Lloris put in an improved performance in the recent trip to Fulham, keeping a clean sheet in Spurs’ 1-0 victory, but he is no match for Oblak, who has a better save percentage (75% to 71.4%) and fewer goals against per 90 (0.94 to 1.16) than the Frenchman over the course of the past year.
Given that he is 30, the 54-cap Slovenia international could still have a number of years playing at the top level, and he would be an excellent addition for Antonio Conte this summer.
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