The ‘immense’ Guglielmo Vicario is ready to make his mark at Tottenham Hotspur with the Premier League outfit fighting off competition from Serie A giants Inter Milan.
That is the view of Paolo Zanetti.
And he is well placed to pass judgement, having coached Guglielmo Vicario at Empoli last season as Tottenham’s new £17 million shot-stopper went from relative unknown to one of Europe’s most coveted young glovesmen in the space of just 12 months.
Spurs confirmed Vicario’s arrival at the end of June.
And, after both Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United missed out in January, Tottenham then fought off competition from an Inter Milan side who ‘tried until the end’ to lure Vicario to San Siro instead, perhaps in the knowledge that Andre Onana’s reunion with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United is a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
Tottenham complete signing of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario
“He’s ready for a big,” Zanetti – no relation to Inter vice-president Javier – tells Sky Italia.
“He would have been the perfect goalkeeper for Inter.
“I think it was a matter of timing. An important offer arrived from the best league in the world (the Premier League), and he went where he deserves. He has great talent and immense human qualities.”
Vicario became the second signing of the Ange Postecoglou era at Spurs. He has the potential to be not only a long-term Hugo Lloris replacement but also a transformative addition for a side looking to transition from the counter-attacking of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in favour of a more proactive, possession-based gameplan.
“Apart from the great satisfaction of being able to sell to one of the most prestigious and important clubs in English football, which is a reference at every level, we are talking about a footballer and a phenomenal person,” Empoli president Fabrizio Corsi tells Tuttomercatoweb.
“There were two Italian teams (interested). Maybe three.”
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