Hugo didn't leave Tottenham on deadline day because he felt a connection to the club.

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has revealed why he rejected the eleventh-hour move to his boyhood club Nice. The World Cup winner declined the offer as he still believes he is good enough to be a first-choice goalkeeper.

The 36-year-old has been free to leave Spurs all summer and had been approached by a few clubs, including Saudi Pro League sides and Lazio and Newcastle United. However, all of these teams only wanted him as a backup option, which is why he decided against the move.

Late on Friday night, a potential transfer to Nice emerged as an option when the Ligue 1 side terminated the contract of Kasper Schmeichel. But Lloris explained that this occurred too late in the day to give it careful consideration. He also felt Marcin Bulka – who had already replaced Schmeichel – would be given the number one role.

In an interview with local newspaper Nice-Matin, the Frenchman said: "I want to clear up the ambiguity surrounding the events of the past hours. Yesterday [Friday], an hour before the end of the window, I received a call from an agent, who brought up the possibility of joining OGC Nice. Playing prospects and the sporting project, the real drivers behind a player’s decision, much more so than financial conditions, weren’t clearly broached.

"My professional journey has shown how much that exchange, of sharing and collective growth, have always forged my decisions, even more so when it’s about coming back to the club that trained me. The supporters and the team deserve better than a split-second decision based on a phone call without expectations or a clear sporting project with one hour until the closure of the window at a time where I wasn’t expecting it."

Lloris went on to explain that he could not sign without a common shared vision and a clear sporting project with the president and coach. Additionally, he mentioned that Bulka has already proven himself to be one of the best goalkeepers at the start of the season, and a promising career ahead of him.

"To be honest, I couldn’t sign without this common shared vision, at least with the president and the coach. OGC Nice is, and will remain, a special club for me. It is my city, my club, my blood. Joining a club to play, to build, to perform, yes; signing without a sporting vision and a direct positive impact on the team, no," Lloris concluded.

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