Lloris dismisses Friedel feud at Spurs

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris insists that any supposed friction between himself and the club over a lack of playing time was a fabrication.

The shot-stopper, who moved from Ligue 1 club Lyon on transfer deadline day, was awarded his first Premier League start by manager Andre Villas-Boas in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, subsequently ending team-mate Brad Friedel’s record of 310 consecutive league appearances.

Since his arrival at White Hart Lane, Lloris has been the subject of reported unrest after finding his path to the first team blocked by the American, but he said that all the rumours have no truth and he is more than happy with his transition to north London.

“I am happy because we won. It was an important match because it was my first start in Premier League,” Lloris said.

“It has been quite a special month (but) not complicated. It was everything all around me that had a bad role (to play). For me, everything with Brad Freidel, the goalkeeping coach and even the manager, has gone off smoothly.”

Lloris stated that by joining on the last day of the transfer window it has left him playing catch up in terms of fitness at Tottenham, but he expects to improve if afforded the opportunity to start more games.

“When you sign at a club at the last minute, it is never that easy. I made the choice to come, so I have to take that on,” Lloris said.

“Usually, you have a whole pre-season to get to know each other and play during friendlies.

“I immediately joined the club during the season, and I still need some matches to find my pace again and get to my best level.

“I was used to playing every three days at Lyon. To improve and be outstanding, you have to play match after match very often.

“During the last month, I only played three encounters. So you need to show a little more concentration. You try to make up for it with more work during training sessions. But the truth comes at the weekend.”