Friedel not ready to give up his No.1 shirt

Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel has warned new signing Hugo Lloris he faces a tough fight to claim his number one shirt, reports Sky Sports.

Freidel produced an outstanding display in Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Norwich whilst Lloris watched on from the bench, having been signed less than 24 hours earlier for a hefty £12 million.

Andre-Villas-Boas has insisted the American is currently his first choice, comments which have irked Lloris who admitted it is “never nice” to hear he may not be considered the number one.

French national team boss Didier Deschamps has also claimed the Frenchman is concerned about the situation at his new club.

However, 41-year-old veteran Friedel insists he is relishing the challenge of not only keeping out Lloris, but also Carlo Cudicini and Heurelho Gomes as the season progresses.

“It’s great to have competition,” Friedel said.

“I’m 41 right now; when I signed the contract at Tottenham I signed as a stop gap while they looked for a long-term No 1 goalkeeper.

“Hugo Lloris is going to come in and he’s going to be, I’m assuming, a very good goalkeeper. It’s a tricky situation to come into the Premier League because it does take some learning.

“Hugo Lloris is France’s No 1 and he’s going to want to come in and play; it’s a friendly competition, if you like. You have to understand Hugo Lloris is going to be a team-mate, not an enemy.

Tottenham’s luxury of goalkeeping talent has Friedel well aware that any dip in form could easily see the veteran take his place on the bench, or even see him out of the squad.

“I want to play; I’ve always wanted to play. However, I would never demean the manager or spit my dummy out, so to speak, if I’m not”, he continued.

“The fact of the matter is, right now, we have four quality goalkeepers at the football club. Right now I believe the shirt is mine to lose. I believe the manager came out and said that.

“I think everyone just needs to have open and honest dialogue through the whole thing because at the end of the day what’s best is for Tottenham to get points on the board. It’s easier, though, to say that when you are a 41-year-old rather than a 25-year-old facing the big breaking point of his career.”

Friedel is expected to keep his place between the sticks as Tottenham travel to Reading this Sunday.