Tottenham target Ben Foster may face awkward Antonio Conte meeting after previous comments
Ben Foster, a veteran goalkeeper, may have an uncomfortable encounter with Antonio Conte if he signs with Tottenham as a replacement for Fraser Forster. Tottenham is reportedly searching for a new goalkeeper because Hugo Lloris has been sidelined due to an injury sustained against Manchester City. The move to bring in Foster as emergency cover could lead to an awkward situation with Conte due to previous comments made by Foster.
On Saturday, Forster will deputize for the injured Frenchman against Leicester City, but Spurs are reportedly looking to add another goalkeeper in the near future in case Forster sustains an injury of his own.
According to The Mirror, Foster, who announced his retirement from the professional game at the end of last season, is among the options being considered to fill the void on an interim basis.
The Magpies offered the 39-year-old Foster a lucrative contract at St. James’ Park towards the end of the previous season.
Due to the distance he would have to travel between Newcastle and his family home on a regular basis, he declined the offer.
A move to Tottenham would provide Foster with a route back into the game while allowing him to remain relatively close to his current residence.
However, he could be set for a confrontation with Conte if he makes the switch to north London after criticizing the Italian coach on YouTube in November.
Foster was not happy with Conte’s comments regarding boos from supporters after Tottenham’s home defeat at the hands of Liverpool and said: “He has done this already and I don’t like this. After the game, Conte came out and he said basically if the fans are going to keep booing like they are doing, then we will have a look at it at the end of the season.
“I think personally you are lucky to be the manager at Spurs. I think Spurs are doing you a bit of a favour, so I don’t think how you can commentate that about Spurs.”
It remains to be seen if Tottenham’s reported interest in Foster will result in a move, as the club would need to entice him out of retirement to make the idea a possibility.
In another YouTube video from the previous year, he announced his retirement from the sport and explained why he rejected a lucrative move to Newcastle.
“Newcastle was really interesting to me, I asked for a really good wage and hoped they would say no,” explained Foster. “It was nice to feel wanted but I didn’t want the upheaval of living away from my family. I was so happy to walk away. I didn’t want to do it.
“I had this deep feeling, I didn’t want to move away from home. I didn’t want to be in an apartment away from my family at the age of 39. You have to go with your gut feeling.
“Especially at the age I am and everything I’ve got going on. The lads would have been brilliant and I would have buzzed off the stadium, the fans, all that kind of stuff. The overriding sinking feeling was I don’t want to do this.”
Tottenham target Ben Foster may face awkward Antonio Conte meeting after previous comments
