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In need of a new goalkeeper after Hugo Lloris made it clear he felt his time at Tottenham was up, Spurs wasted little time in signing Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli.

The Italian had impressed during the 2022-23 campaign, and there was a belief he was the right man to take over from the Frenchman, which has proven correct to date.

A lot of hard work has gone into him reaching this stage of his career, and Walter Zenga, interviewed by Corriere dello Sport, was more than happy to discuss the Tottenham goalkeeper as an alternative for Gianluigi Donnarumma for the Italy national team.

The Paris Saint-Germain star has been prone to a fair number of mistakes of late, including getting sent off in his team’s recent 2-0 win over Le Havre, with many calling for him to be demoted at international level to give someone else a chance.

Whether Vicario would be that person remains to be seen, but Walter Zenga certainly believes the Tottenham signing has what it takes.

He said: “He lives for football. In Venezia, he worked to improve himself. His mentality led him to the big stages. I see him like that even today in interviews, in the messages he writes to me. The same focus as back then. The Premier League hasn’t changed him. He will continue to grow and gain experience.”

Currently the director of development at Persita in Indonesia, Zenga managed Vicario at Venezia during his 19 game spell there as manager during the 2018-19 season.