Former Serie A boss Leonardo Semplici admits he would have ‘preferred’ to see Guglielmo Vicario join another Italian club rather than move to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.
If Inter Milan had made their move a little sooner, Tottenham Hotspur may have faced a far more difficult task getting Guglielmo Vicario through the door.
According to Empoli president Fabrizio Corsi, Inter simply let it too late as they looked to bring in the talented Italian as a replacement for the Manchester United-bound Andre Onana, Vicario instead putting pen to paper on a £17 million move to North London.
Arguably the best goalkeeper in Italy in 2022/23, Vicario has translated his superb Serie A form into English football, a major reason why Spurs had made such a flying start under Ange Postecoglou before those defeats to Chelsea and Wolves.
And Semplici, who coached Vicario at Cagliari a couple of years ago, is a little disappointed to see a player of his potential leave his homeland in favour of a new adventure in a new league.
Guglielmo Vicario impressing at Tottenham Hotspur
“When I gave him his debut with Cagliari, Vicario’s qualities were already evident. But I must say that he surprised me too,” Semplici tells Calciomercato. “He has made a great journey and has earned this chance to go to the Premier League.
“I would have preferred to see him in an Italian team but, unfortunately, the market is open in every sense. What matters is that he is enjoying the adventure in a great team like Tottenham, and I hope he can continue.
“I’m pleased to see him also in the orbit of the national team.”
A £17 million bargain
Vicario is yet to make his Italy bow but that could soon change. The 27-year-old is a regular in the Azzurri squad these days, called up again by former Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti for the November internationals.
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