Ben Foster may face awkward Antonio Conte meeting after prior comments

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Veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster could be set for an awkward meeting with Antonio Conte if he joins Tottenham as emergency cover for back-up stopper Fraser Forster over the coming weeks. The north Londoners are said to be on the lookout for a new man between the sticks in the absence of Hugo Lloris, who has been ruled out for a number of weeks due to an injury suffered against Manchester City earlier this month.

Forster will step in to cover for the stricken Frenchman against Leicester City on Saturday but Spurs are reportedly keen on adding another goalkeeper to their ranks in case the former picks up an injury of his own in the not-too-distant future. 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 a short-term basis, according to The Mirror.

Foster had the opportunity to extend his career with Newcastle United towards the end of the previous campaign, with the Magpies offering the 39-year-old a lucrative contract at St James’ Park. However, he chose to turn them down as a result of the distance he would need to travel between Newcastle and his family home on a regular basis.

A move to Tottenham would allow Foster a route back into the game while staying relatively close to where he already lives, although he could be set for a tense meeting with Conte if he eventually makes the switch to north London after criticising the Italian coach on his popular YouTube channel back in November.

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Foster was not pleased 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 whether Tottenham’s reported interest in Foster will eventually result in a move being agreed, with the club needing to tempt him out of retirement to stand any chance of making the idea a reality. He announced that he was stepping back from the sport in another YouTube video last year, in which he also opened up on his decision to snub 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.”

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