Tottenham Hotspur boss backs Paulo Gazzaniga for big future ahead

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has backed Paulo Gazzaniga to have a big future ahead after impressing whenever he has been called up for first-team duty. The Argentine started the season as the third-choice shot-stopper behind Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm but he has slowly jumped ahead of the latter in the pecking order.

In an exclusive with Football.London, Pochettino said that he has been impressed with the progression of the former Southampton keeper and believes the Argentine has the potential to reach the top level, he quipped: “I think his progression was fantastic. Of course the credit is always for the players, but [we have] to give big credit to Toni Jimenez, the goalkeeping coach, who’s helping all the keepers to improve and grow. I think after one year and a half with us, I think his progression is fantastic and we were right when we signed him, because we believed and we knew him from Southampton. “He’s still young for a keeper and has the potential to be top.”

Gazzaniga found himself in the wilderness during his time at Southampton but he managed to change his fortunes after impressing for Rayo Vallecano during the 2016/17 season. As such, he was surprisingly recruited by Spurs last year and he has since make inroads with the occasional appearance for the north London club.

In the current campaign, the 26-year-old has made five appearances across all competitions and two of thosehave come in the Premier League when Hugo Lloris was on the sidelines with an injury. His showing has also caught the eye of interim Argentine boss Lionel Scaloni, who recently rewarded him with a maiden call-up to the national team.

Tottenham are currently on 27 points after the opening 12 league matches and this sees them occupying the final Champions League spot ahead of arch-rivals Arsenal. Next up, they are scheduled to host London rivals Chelsea following the international break before making the trip across the city to face the Gunners.