Guglielmo Vicario has been backed to shine at Tottenham, by the man who was his ‘discoverer’ in Italian football.
Sport Italia have been speaking to former sporting director Renzo Nadin, who discovered the goalkeeper as a youngster and took him to Fontanafredda from Udinese U19’s in August 2014.
Vicario spent a year at the club on loan before playing for the likes of Venezia, Cagliari and then Empoli, where he had been impressing since a loan move in July 2021.
His performances have not gone unnoticed at the Italian club and prompted Tottenham to make their move for him this summer, paying Empoli €20m, a record fee for the Italian side, to secure his signature.
The move to London, where Vicario is expected to replace Hugo Lloris, is the first outside of Italy for the 26-year-old and sure to be a big step up from the level he’s previously played at.
Nadin is confident he can handle it, though, and is glad to see his former protégé making the move to the Premier League.
“I admit that I would have liked to see him in an Italian big, but at the same time the Premier League and a city like London, one of the most beautiful in the world, are something incredible,” he said.
“Moreover, I saw the video of his first statements, and he already speaks well English. In the end, Tottenham was the right solution for him.
“In England he will be able to have his say while always remaining in the national team.
“Then there is another factor: if you miss just one match at the San Siro or at the Olimpico, you’ll already end up in the centre of criticism, if you mess up a game in the Premier it’s very different.”
Nadin also revealed the goalkeeper had interest from Inter Milan and other clubs.
