5 Possible Replacements for Hugo Lloris If Tottenham Sell France Star

Prior to Tottenham Hotspur's meeting with Arsenal in February, head coach Mauricio Pochettino refuted claims that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris might be sold.

Describing the France star as "one of the best goalkeepers in the world," Pochettino stated that "Hugo is happy here with us." Those offering Champions League football would find it "difficult" to sign him. "Maybe in the future, in his mind, he plays in the Champions League with Tottenham."

For now, we should take Pochettino at his word on a player who last summer extended his contract in north London until 2019. Yet past precedent with players such as Gareth Bale, who signed a long-term deal a year prior to his departure, has taught us plans can change. In the event Lloris decides his career is best furthered elsewhere, here are five possible directions Tottenham might head in to replace him.

These include options currently at the club, as well as outside. We begin with one of the former.

Michel Vorm

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Michel Vorm has deputised for Lloris in recent weeks.

In his pre-Burnley press conference, Pochettino said he "was very clear" in telling Michel Vorm his plans for him. "When I spoke with him before he signed, he knew my idea."

In the former Swansea City man's first season at Tottenham, he has been used as cover for Lloris. The go-to guy in domestic cup games (at least up until the Capital One Cup final, when Lloris was selected), Vorm recently made his first Premier League appearances in the wake of his colleague's injury early on in the Leicester City win.

His signing could be as simple as Spurs wanting to ensure they had a strong, Premier League-proven alternative ready to replace the ageing Brad Friedel, who remains at the club for the time being.

But it is also tempting to view it as Pochettino moving in anticipation of Lloris' departure, either acting as a precaution or in the knowledge of an undisclosed agreement. Last summer's contract extension could have been a means of allowing the France captain to see how things progressed at Spurs while allowing them to recoup a sizable transfer fee if he does decide leave.

Bar his hiccup in the FA Cup loss to Leicester, Vorm has performed solidly for Spurs. He might not have quite as spectacular a repertoire as Lloris, but the Dutchman's time at Swansea underlined his reliability as a Premier League shot-stopper.

Promoting from Within the Club

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Luke McGee was used in Tottenham's pre-season friendly against Chicago Fire last summer.

Lloris leaving would not just require a direct replacement, either. In the event of Vorm stepping into the void left by the Frenchman—and 43-year-old Friedel retiring when his contract expires this summer—there would be a need for the numbers to be made up.

Of those currently on the books at Tottenham, the next two goalkeepers likely to be in line are Jordan Archer and Luke McGee.

Archer, 22, is currently on loan at Millwall having spent the first half of the season with mid-table League Two side Northampton Town. He previously tested himself at Wycombe Wanderers and non-league Bishop's Stortford. He has also represented Scotland through the youth levels.

His current contract expires this summer, and it will be intriguing to see whether Pochettino views him as someone capable of following in the footsteps of Harry Kane and Ryan Mason. Even if his main assignment would just be to fill a seat on the bench.

Still only 19, McGee perhaps has a little more leeway. He travelled and played with Spurs on last summer's North American tour after Archer pulled out, but he has yet to experience competitive senior football anywhere.

McGee was on fine form in Spurs under-21s' 0-0 Easter Monday draw with Chelsea, making an important double save late on to keep the score level. He looks a decent prospect, but he will likely need a loan spell or two for it to be ascertained just how good he is.

Another Proven Premier League 'Keeper or a Young Prospect

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Asmir Begovic would attract interest from many clubs if he became available.

Possible replacement options three and four will be grouped together, given a prime example of each currently play for the same club. Indeed, the futures of Stoke City's first-choice stopper Asmir Begovic and young back-up England international Jack Butland are very much intertwined.

Butland recently extended his Stoke contract until 2019, while Potters boss Mark Hughes has since stated that he hopes Begovic renews ahead of his deal's expiration next year, per BBC Sport.

Hughes' recent praise of Butland highlighted the enviable situation Stoke have with two high-quality goalkeepers, as well as veteran Thomas Sorensen. However, it also underlined why something might have to give.

"He isn’t somebody who wants to sit around and serve as understudy," Hughes told his club's official website. "His ambitions are to keep improving and challenge for a regular starting position."

In the event they felt could do better than Vorm or wanted to provide a standard of back-up similar to that he provides Lloris, Spurs could be one of those clubs to act if the situation changed at Stoke.

The north Londoners are said to be interested in Begovic, according to a recent report by the Mirror's Ian Baker. They actually almost signed him from Portsmouth in 2010, loaning the then-troubled Premier League club £1 million as a deposit that was to be repaid if he moved elsewhere, confirmed by the club via the Guardian.

Should the Bosnia and Herzegovina international remain at Stoke and Butland decides he needs to look elsewhere for first-team football, a move for the latter would be in keeping with recent indications that Tottenham are in the process of adopting a youth-oriented recruitment policy.

Though only a month older than Archer, Butland has been widely regarded as one of the country's best goalkeeping prospects since he was called into England's Euro 2012 squad. His minimal Premier League experience means his exact credentials remain unclear, however.

Looking Abroad

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Velez Sarsfield's 28-year-old goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa.

Tottenham have not shied away from looking abroad for goalkeepers in recent years.

Lloris himself was a particularly astute capture from Olympique Lyonnais. Radek Cerny and Heurelho Gomes did well (though the latter's form at Spurs tailed off significantly)—Stipe Pletikosa and Cesar Sanchez not so well.

Given the best Premier League goalkeepers do not always come cheap and are not always available, there is often more value abroad.

The Mirror's Ed Malyon has reported that Velez Sarsfield's Sebastian Sosa has been offered to Spurs "via an intermediary" as his contract with the Argentinian club is set to expire.

It is the kind of seemingly out-of-nowhere rumour that often appears as the end of the season and the opening of the transfer window approaches. There's likely to be some semblance of truth to it but not enough to suggest anything will actually happen—not yet at least.

This may be the extent of Sosa's link with Spurs. However, the Uruguayan will not be the last of his kind touted as a potential replacement for Lloris regardless of whether the current Tottenham goalkeeper stays.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.