Why didn’t Manchester City sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris in the summer?

Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris is the best sweeper-keeper in the Premier League.

Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has been singled out for criticism for his performance in Sunday’s 4-0 defeat against Everton, conceding from every shot on target that he faced at Goodison Park.

The 33-year-old, who was signed from Barcelona in the summer, joined amid controversy as fan-favourite and long-serving shot-stopper Joe Hart was forced out. But given manager Pep Guardiola wanted a trusted ball-player between the sticks this season, why was Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris overlooked?

Hugo Lloris the best sweeper-keeper in the Premier League

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper is perfectly engrained in the sweeper-keeper philosophy Guardiola wants. Hugo Lloris has the highest passing accuracy of any shot-stopper in the Premier League this season, and is second in the list for conceding the lowest percentage of shots on target that he’s faced. He’s fast off his line and comfortable with the ball at his feet. His speed allows Tottenham to play a high line and the trust they have in Lloris’ passing ability to start counter attacks from deep.

The French international is three years younger than Claudio Bravo and has proven himself in his five years in the Premier League too. Lloris would have been lower risk to sign as a result, albeit a harder player to buy given Tottenham’s defiance to keep him. But given Manchester City paid £16M for Bravo, surely a bit more money for a proven Premier League talent such as Lloris would have been worth it? Lloris is one of the top-ten goalkeepers in the world but the Sky Blues didn’t view him as a replacement for Hart.

Claudio Bravo looks incapable of shot-stopping

Claudio Bravo has conceded 14 goals from the last 22 shots on target that he’s faced. He’s failed to keep put 43% of the shots on targets faced this season. opposing players seem to find the back of the net when one-one-one with the Chilean international far too often and now Guardiola has a quandary on what to do with his goalkeepers. He has Willy Caballero as an option in the squad but stubbornly sticks to his principles which may see him give Bravo a chance to turn his form around.

But with Manchester City having conceded 26 goals – to Tottenham’s 14 – it’s clear Lloris would have been a better pick between the sticks. Bravo has struggled to keep shots on target out of his net, but Lloris excels at one-one-one goalkeeping. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has conceded the title following their latest loss, and the Sky Blues are now 4/6 to finish in the top-four as City are currently 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea after 21 games.

Did Manchester City sign the wrong goalkeeper?