Guglielmo Vicario’s father has been revealing some of the details behind the lead up to the Empoli goalkeeper joining Tottenham Hotspur.
Earlier this evening, Tottenham confirmed that the 26-year-old had sealed his transfer from the Serie A side and has signed a five-year contract.
Michele Vicario has shared some details in an interview with an Italian news outlet about the contact between Ange Postecoglou and his son ahead of the transfer with the new Spurs head coach holding a video call with the shot stopper.
Postecoglou revealed to the player that he had decided to opt for him due to having a similar background of having to work their way to the top of the professional game.
Vicario has only just finished his second season as the number one with Empoli in Serie A, having played in Italy’s lower divisions and previously been the second choice at top-flight Cagliari in 2020-21 before moving to the Carlo Castellani Stadium.
He has been a regular in the Italian national squad since his first call-up last September but has not yet earned his first cap, instead, acting as a back-up to Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Postecoglou also arrived at the Premier League the hard way having worked in his native Australia as well as Greece, Japan and Celtic before being confirmed as Tottenham’s successor to Antonio Conte earlier this month.
ENFIELD, ENGLAND – JUNE 27: Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario poses as he signs for Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on June 27, 2023 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
What Guglielmo Vicario’s father said about him joining Spurs
In an interview with Messaggero Veneto, Michele Vicario revealed that Postecoglou was impressed by the fact that the goalkeeper already speaks English and had potential opportunities to join Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in January, only for Empoli to want to retain his services for the remainder of the campaign.
He said: “A week ago, he had a video call with his new coach, Ange Postecoglou.
“They spoke in English and the coach told him that he had chosen him because Guglielmo worked his way up just like him. The coach was then impressed to see that the boy already knows English.”
“In January, two other English clubs had come forward, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, but Empoli wanted to postpone everything until the summer.”
Quizzed on whether he would have preferred his son to remain in Italy, he replied: “No, we would not have preferred to see him continue playing in Italy. My wife has always had a dream to go and study in England, then she had to make other choices.
“Seeing her son realise a dream that belonged to her is an unimaginable feeling of satisfaction.”
He continued: “His professionalism has always been high, let’s say that his personality has come out recently.”
Vicario’s transfer also means both of his parents will now be able to step away from their working lives and retire, he revealed: “My wife, like me, will retire. Let’s just say we’ll have more free time at our disposal.”
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