I stayed at Tottenham because of Pochettino – Lloris

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris admitted he considered leaving White Hart Lane before Mauricio Pochettino joined the club.

Lloris was handed the captain’s armband after signing a new five-year deal following Pochettino’s arrival in 2014, however the France skipper’s future was far from certain prior to the Argentinean’s appointment.

The 29-year-old, who reportedly attracted interested from Premier League rivals Manchester United last year, conceded he was weighing up a move away from London after Tim Sherwood was sacked almost two years ago, just six months on from Andre Villas-Boas’ departure.

“I’ve flourished completely here,” Lloris told L’Equipe. “I can even say that since the arrival of Pochettino I found new benchmarks. 

“My second season here was complicated, I had kept a certain level of performance but collectively there were too many gaps and it had been against the big teams. 

“I had not felt a strong club, but rather an unstable one, with a coaching change in the middle of the season, just the opposite of what I like to see in football. I was actually asking myself questions until Pochettino arrived.”

Lloris and Tottenham can further cement themselves in fourth position with victory at Everton on Sunday.