Guglielmo Vicario’s impending £16 million switch to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur is a ‘source of pride’ for Empoli according to the Serie A club’s president.
With Spurs suddenly switching their attention from David Raya to Vicario, Daniel Levy is once again likely to face all-too familiar accusations of corner-cutting and penny-pitching.
Vicario, after all, comes around £25 million cheaper than Raya. And what he has in affordability, he lacks in proven Premier League quality; Raya shining during two largely excellent top-flight campaigns at Brentford.
On the other hand, Levy could argue that spending £40 million on Raya – when he had just one year left on his contract – would have made little sense from a financial perspective. Even if most Spurs supporters have next-to-no interest in the balance sheet.
Tottenham Hotspur close in on Guglielmo Vicario
Vicario, it must be said, was outstanding for Empoli in Serie A last season. To merely refer to him as a ‘bargain alternative’ does his performances across 2022/23 a major disservice.
And, for Stadio Carlo Castellani president Fabrizio Corsi, the prospect of Empoli making a massive profit on a player they have nurtured and developed over the last few seasons is reason for much back-slapping.
“We bought him to sell him on,” Corsi tells Lady Radio. “We also paid a lot to sign him considering our finances.
“It’s a source of pride for us that the top teams have him in their sights. He’s also a special person, not just as a footballer.”
26-year-old Vicario, formerly of Udinese, was recently called up for the Italian national team for the first time. He is not quite as comfortable with the ball at his feet as David Raya; no goalkeeper completed more passes in the Premier League last term than Brentford’s ‘number one’. But Vicario certainly made big strides with regards two his distribution during his time at Empoli.
Like at Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and like when Pep Guardiola traded in Joe Hart for Claudio Bravo at Man City, bringing a cultured, ball-playing goalkeeper to North London is integral to Tottenham’s hopes of adapting to life under Ange Postecoglou.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Vicario should touch down in London over the weekend.
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