Journalist Danny Kelly has revealed that several Serie A clubs were plotting moves for Guglielmo Vicario in the summer and were left shocked when Tottenham swooped for the goalkeeper.
Vicario had emerged as one of the best goalkeepers in the Italian top flight in his two seasons at Empoli and unsurprisingly, it was reported during the summer that the 27-year-old attracted interest from a couple of Italian giants over the summer, including Juventus and Inter Milan (One Football).
However, it was Tottenham who won the race for the Italy international, striking a £17m deal for the shot-stopper, which already looks like a huge bargain.
Vicario has hardly put a foot wrong since his move to N17 and he admitted in an interview to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Italia) last week that he did not have any second thoughts about joining Spurs as soon as the Lilywhites expressed their interest.
BURNLEY, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 02: Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario reacts during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on September 02, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Tottenham stole a march on Guglielmo Vicario deal
Kelly revealed that a couple of Italian sides hesitated to sign the Tottenham number one in the summer, which allowed Ange Postecoglou’s men the chance to swoop in.
The journalist said on The View From the Lane podcast: “I spoke last night to Daniele Fisichella the Italian football journalist about him and the chances of him replacing the apparently irreplaceable Donnarumma in the Italian team.
“He says his cap is coming soon. But, he was on the radar of the big Italian clubs during the summer and they were all a bit shocked when Spurs swooped in and got him.
“They were hesitating because two of them had goalkeepers that they thought were very good and it would just upset the apple cart to bring in an even better one. The rest of them thought that he would be commanding a transfer fee and wages that Italian clubs at the moment just can’t [afford].”
Spurs Web Opinion
A lot of Spurs fans were not happy when the club decided to sign Vicario over David Raya, with many viewing it as the club taking the cheaper option.
The recruitment department and Postecoglou deserve huge credit for deciding to take a gamble on a goalkeeper who has no Premier League experience under his belt.
Have something to tell us about this article?
