Friedel not about to relinquish No. 1 spot

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Sep 18, 2012

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Clint Dempsey arrived at Tottenham from Fulham under the radar, making a brief appearance in Sunday's 3-1 win at Reading, but all the attention at Spurs has been on its other American, Brad Friedel. If anyone thought the 41-year-old keeper would go quietly into the sun following the signing of highly rated French keeper Hugo Lloris, they were surely mistaken.

Friedel made his 308th consecutive start in goal for Tottenham against Reading -- an EPL record -- and has received the backing of Tottenham's first-year manager Andre Villas-Boas, which did not sit well with French national team coach Didier Deschamps, who needs for his captain and No. 1 keeper to be playing regularly.

Friedel hopes Lloris gets lots of playing time -- in Spurs' various cup competitions like veterans Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini got last season.

"We have friendly, and healthy, competition for places," Friedel told talkSPORT on Monday. "Hopefully, we will have long runs in all the cup competitions, and there's going to be plenty of matches to share around."

For Friedel, Lloris' arrival is the case of the more the merrier.

"Hugo has come in and is a really nice person," he added. "He's a super goalkeeper but we have two other really good goalkeepers in Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini."

As for Lloris, he told L'Equipe after sitting on the bench: "I am in an adaptation period, I've had very few training sessions, and there are players that I didn't know. But I am expecting time on the field. Things were very clear from the start on Sunday. I was at the disposal of [Tottenham goalkeeping coach] Tony Parks and Brad Friedel. That field, that atmosphere, that gives you desire to play. Moreover, we got three points that made us start our season. For me, it is a period to manage. Obviously I have desire. I came here to play. I am at the club, I know where I have to go to. I had a talk with the coach, as he said, and I know everyone at Tottenham wanted me to come."