This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson has claimed he has changed his mind on current stopper Paulo Gazzaniga, per Football Insider.
What’s the word?
The Argentine has been deputising for Hugo Lloris, who is currently out until 2020.
The 27-year-old has made 15 appearances in all competitions this season and has kept four clean sheets, twice against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, versus Burnley in the Premier League and against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup.
Since Jose Mourinho’s appointment as manager, Gazzaniga has recorded just one clean sheet but Robinson insists he now looks like the club’s No.1.
He said, when asked if he had changed his mind on a particular player: “Gazzaniga probably, because I looked at the stats, I looked at his record and he’s been generally a number two through his playing career.
“He hasn’t played where he’s been, it’s generally been number 2 or 3. For the length of a career that he’s had, for his age and games-to-age ratio, it doesn’t add up so I was worried whether he could step in and do it on a consistent basis and he’s done that.
“Hugo Lloris is going to be out for a while longer and Gazzaniga, at the moment, he’s looking a safe pair of hands.”
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The only option
The lack of depth at the club means that the ex-Southampton man is the only genuine option.
While Michel Vorm is under contract in north London, he simply doesn’t have the match fitness to be a viable starter in a Mourinho XI.
Alfie Whiteman, as Football FanCast has previously detailed, has been an execrable presence in the Under-23s and simply isn’t ready.
While Gazzaniga has shipped a few goals, he has stepped up when he has been needed and has turned in some fine displays.
It remains to be seen whether he will stay a key part of Mourinho’s team when Lloris returns to fitness but he is certainly giving himself the best chance, as Robinson alludes to.
Meanwhile, Spurs fans have been disappointed by one decision from Jose Mourinho.