Hugo Lloris handed £2m Tottenham settlement after rare Daniel Levy gesture
Tottenham chief Daniel Levy gave Hugo Lloris a £2million payoff when he left the club to join MLS side Los Angeles FC in December.
Lloris made more than 400 appearances for Spurs after signing from Lyon in 2012, but told French newspaper Nice-Matin at the end of last season that he wanted to leave. "We are coming to an important moment, whether for the club or for me," he said.
"It's the end of an era. I have desires for other things." Spurs then signed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli as Lloris' replacement and the 37-year-old was left out of the squad by new manager Ange Postecoglou.
However, he remained at Tottenham for the first half of the season before completing the switch to LA, with Levy allowing Lloris to leave for free despite him still having six months left on his contract.
The Daily Mail also report that Levy negotiated a 'generous' settlement of £2m, paying him the 'majority of what was owed on his deal'. Lloris shares a strong relationship with Levy, having remained loyal to Spurs for more than a decade.
Antonio Conte to undergo surgery after Spurs boss became unwell with severe pain"I have always liked to have face-to-face talks with my bosses," he told L'Equipe back in 2015. It's important to get to know people, to get an idea of the culture of a club, and to understand how it works.
"When you have that privilege of being able to talk directly with your chairman, like I've had with Daniel Levy, that make things a lot easier. Afterwards, I know what we've said to each other, and we have a relationship built on trust."
However, Lloris is now set for a new challenge in the US, with the MLS season set to get underway later this month. "Hugo is arguably the most successful goalkeeper of his generation and a proven winner," LAFC's general manager John Thorrington said.
"We are incredibly excited that Hugo has chosen LAFC for the next phase of his illustrious career. He brings unprecedented leadership experience at the highest levels of football, which we know will greatly benefit our club in our pursuit of more trophies.
"I would like to thank Tottenham for their collaboration, and I join all of Los Angeles in extending a warm welcome to Hugo, his wife Marine, and their three children to LAFC."