Tottenham land Lloris and Dempsey
Friday, August 31, 2012
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Tottenham Hotspur FC have further strengthened their squad with the signings of France captain Hugo Lloris from Olympique Lyonnais and Fulham FC's Clint Dempsey.
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Tottenham Hotspur FC have further strengthened their squad by securing the signatures of France captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and forward Clint Dempsey, who has joined from Fulham FC.
Lloris leaves Olympique Lyonnais for an initial fee of €10m after agreeing a four-year deal at White Hart Lane. The 25-year-old has made almost 150 league appearances for Lyon since joining from OGC Nice in 2008, picking up the Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year award three times and lifting the Coupe de France last season.
Lloris will provide Spurs with invaluable European experience between the posts having featured in 40 matches in UEFA club competition, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2009/10. He has won 38 caps for France and is firmly established not only as Les Bleus' No1 but also as captain, having been appointed four months before UEFA EURO 2012.
The 29-year-old Dempsey moves across London from Fulham FC, with whom he scored 50 goals in 184 league matches since joining from New England Revolution in 2006. The fee is reported to be in the region of €7.5m.
The pair become the fifth and sixth summer signings at André Villas-Boas' new-look Tottenham, who face S.S. Lazio, Panathinaikos FC and NK Maribor in UEFA Europa League Group J.