Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 7y

Hugo Lloris: Tottenham 'can't win overnight,' must 'create success' first

Hugo Lloris has told former Tottenham teammate William Gallas that the club's fans may have to be patient a little longer before they see their side lift a trophy.

Tottenham have not won a major honour since picking up the League Cup in 2008, and have not been champions of England since doing the Double in 1961.

In the three seasons of Mauricio Pochettino's reign at the club, they have improved from a fifth-placed Premier League finish in 2015 to coming runners-up to Chelsea last term, when going unbeaten at White Hart Lane for the first time since the mid-1960s and ending the season higher than North London rivals Arsenal for the first time in 22 years.

Despite the club's upward momentum, Lloris told Gallas in an SFR Sport interview that Tottenham still have some work to do before they are perennial title challengers. 

"Ever since you're little, you play to win matches, win competitions," said Lloris, whose side have picked up three points from their opening two Premier League fixtures this season. "When you play for one of the really big European clubs you have more chance of doing that, the probability is greater than when you play for Tottenham.

"There was question of [leaving] at one time, but as soon as I met Mauricio Pochettino we were in sync in terms of his philosophy of playing, his attitude to the game. He's also a winner.

"But with Tottenham, you can't win overnight. You have to create success, build something solid. That's what we're doing, that's the direction we're going in. But we know that in England there are other big teams that strengthen every year, with great coaches.

"The league is very competitive. It's surely the most competitive in the world and it's difficult to make your mark, but we're holding our own and we're going to continue down that road."

Lloris himself has not won a trophy since picking up the Coupe de France in his final season with Lyon before moving to Tottenham in 2012.

Though he is now 30, the France captain says he has plenty of time to win more honours, and told Gallas, who was at Tottenham when Lloris arrived, that he will not be leaving England any time soon.

"I don't set myself limits. We'll see for the body and the head above all," he said. "I have some years ahead of me, hopefully the best, and I hope they'll be rewarded with trophies. I love the English league, I'm completely at home in it. I love the approach, the philosophy, I love the context, the culture.

"It's fantastic for a footballer to play here. There could be other experiences, like the U.S., in a good while, but there are still a lot of things to do before that. I still have five, six years ahead of me at the highest level."

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