Tottenham Hotspur star Hugo Lloris makes unexpected Arsenal claim amid future uncertainty

Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has claimed Arsenal remain in the Premier League title race, despite the Gunners being 11 points behind leaders Leicester City as the season approaches its sharp end. Following the international break, the race for the championship restarts in earnest, with Spurs travelling to Liverpool this weekend as Leicester host Southampton.

Though Arsene Wenger's side have a game in hand over their rivals, they trail their North London neighbours by six points and are further adrift of Leicester, but a favourable run-in means they remain in contention. The Gunners host Watford this weekend, three weeks on from being dumped out of the FA Cup by Quique Sanchez Flores' side.

Arsenal face a substantial task to force their way back into title reckoning, but Lloris considers the club to be a contender for the league despite the vast points difference. The Frenchman wants Tottenham to focus on their own run-in, though, which begins at Anfield.

"We can talk a bit about Arsenal as well," Lloris, who has started 30 of Tottenham's top-flight games this season, told Sky Sports. "They are behind us but have played one less game, so I think the key is to be focused on ourselves, don't think about the other teams."

"We have two tough games ahead with Liverpool away and Manchester United at home and maybe we will see a bit more after those games. In football anything is possible so we just need to play games and enjoy it with our fans."

Lloris' endorsement of Arsenal's title bid comes amid speculation over his own future at White Hart Lane. Website Foot01 had linked with 29-year-old with a return to former club Lyon but the stopper has denied any interest in leaving Tottenham. "I really like Lyon but there's no question about it," he said prior to France's friendly win over Russia, according to The Evening Standard. "I'm very happy with Tottenham. We have very important games to play until the end of the season, so we're focused on that."