Tottenham Hotspur believe they’ve signed an “absolute gem” in goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli, according to journalist Rahman Osman.
Who have Spurs signed this summer?
After weeks of chasing Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, with Spurs eventually priced out of a move, the north Londoners instead opted to bid for Vicario as a far cheaper and capable alternative.
Raya was said to be commanding a £40 million price tag, which is arguably hefty given he has just 12 months remaining on his Bees deal, and Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy was always unlikely to reach that figure.
As a result, Tottenham instead turned to Vicario, with a deal coming to fruition quickly and reliable transfer journalists Fabrizio Romano soon after giving his famous “here we go” to the move.
The Italy international apparently completed his medical yesterday, and commenting on that development, reporter Osman shared an interesting bit of background.
Those close to Vicario see the shot-stopper as a potential “superstar” in the making, while Tottenham themselves believe they’ve signed an “absolute gem” in the 26-year-old.Guglielmo Vicario is expected to undergo his Tottenham medical today. The feeling among those who know him very well say he’s going to be an absolute superstar in the game. Spurs also think they’ve bagged an absolute gem. #THFC #Empoli After Vicario, it is believed Spurs are seriously chasing a deal for Leicester City star James Maddison, with Ange Postecoglou also in the hunt to sign a new centre-back and further forward options.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, Juventus defender Gleison Bremer and Man United’s out-of-favour centre-back Harry Maguire are all being considered (The Telegraph).
What’s been said about Vicario?
Italian footballing legend Gianluigi Buffon, speaking on DAZN (via The Athletic), has seriously endorsed Vicario as a keeper.
“Vicario is the goalkeeper who, on the whole, is doing the best,” Buffon said.
“In the future, he could be part of the national team setup for a long time either as first or second choice.”
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s goalkeeping analyst Matt Pyzdrowski, a coach and former goalkeeper who played in the United States and Sweden, also holds Vicario in high esteem but also issues a note of caution.
“One thing to keep an eye on with Vicario is, yes, he makes a lot of saves, but he gives up a lot of rebounds, often into dangerous areas,” Pyzdrowski said.“I watched a whole load of different videos and one of the saves he got a ton of credit for was the triple one against Roma, but that comes from when he pushes the ball right back into a dangerous area where you weren’t expecting him to.
“Credit to him, he’s so athletic he can make up for it, but that’s something to keep an eye on.”
