“A club like Tottenham is different” – Spurs player explains having to raise level, deal with expectations

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has explained he’s needed to up his game ‘considerably’ since arriving at Tottenham in the summer.

The Italian goalkeeper has been speaking to Sport Week, relayed by Numero Diaz, about his time in England so far.

He joined Tottenham in an €18.5m deal from FC Empoli in the summer as they sought a long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris.

He’s proven to be a big hit since, slotting in perfectly into the system employed by Ange Postecoglou and keeping five clean sheets in 25 games to date.

Indeed, he’s very much helped the club move on quickly from Lloris, who has now moved to MLS for the end of his career.

It’s been an impressive step up for Vicario who, at 27-years-old, had not been highly thought of in Italian football until an impressive couple of seasons with Empoli after originally arriving on loan from Cagliari in June 2022.

He’s now a star for Tottenham, though, and admits he has been forced to play at a higher level by the quality in the Tottenham squad and level of the Premier League in general.

“It is undeniable that a club like Tottenham is different from those I have known in the past: expectations change, many dynamics,” he said.

“However, I think that football changes but at the same time remains the same, in the sense that the ball is always the same and you have to try to understand the coach’s ideas, his requests, the level of the teammates you have. 

“For me the level has risen considerably here and it’s nice to be able to compete day after day with very high-quality players.”