Ange Postecoglou has been a hit both at Tottenham and on ITV, having captured hearts with his enthusiasm for football and wealth of knowledge at the top level during the Euros, while guiding Spurs to a fifth-placed Premier League finish in his first season in charge.
However, he has not been afraid to make bold decisions, including ones that may upset the dressing room. One of his first signings in north London was goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, despite captain Hugo Lloris already in place having spent over a decade between the posts very successfully.
But the veteran stopper was ousted in favour of Vicario and Lloris spent the first half of the season on the bench, before his contract was torn up and he was allowed to leave for free to MLS outfit Los Angeles FC.
Lloris has since lifted the lid on his final few months at Spurs and the conversation with Postecoglou that effectively ended his time at the club, leaving him “transparent” as a result of their chat.
It was a combination of several factors: the team was lacking results and the coach [Antonio Conte], was under pressure, was losing patience,” Lloris explained to Le Parisien. “Therefore, the group dynamic was negative.
"Tottenham were coming to the end of a cycle, and so was I. I knew that Tottenham wanted to recruit younger players, especially in my position. Summer was approaching and I was no longer part of the plans.
"When the championship resumed, in August 2023, the coach [Postecoglou] informed me that I would no longer enter the field, that I would only be a training player. I was pushed aside, I had become transparent."
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Lloris’ last Spurs game came in the 6-1 drubbing by Newcastle in April 2023, when visiting supporters at St James’ Park left after just nine minutes, but remained at the club for eight more “complicated” months before sealing his Stateside move.
"Those eight months without playing were complicated,” he added. "Since I've been playing football – and I started at the age of six – I've been thinking about the upcoming match, planning for the next goal.
"When all this collapses, we no longer know how to make sense of physical effort: why hurt ourselves? Why push yourself to come back? However, I was not unhappy. I took the opportunity to spend more time with my family and it did me good.
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"I was able to celebrate my father's 70th birthday and go see my brother play in Le Havre, against PSG. It would have been impossible if I had been on a team sheet at Tottenham.
"One day, I know, football will stop for me. I will perhaps miss the adrenaline, because it is a drug, but I am not afraid of this 'little death' as they call it in the sporting world. There is an afterlife, and I can't wait to know it too."