What Tottenham truly think about signing an upgrade on Guglielmo Vicario has been revealed, while Thomas Frank has gone to war with the Spurs fans who booed the Italian following his blunder against Fulham.
Spurs yet again floundered on home soil, falling to a 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday. In an all too familiar tale, Tottenham were their own worst enemies when falling two goals behind inside six minutes.
The second goal was a particularly sore spot for Spurs when Fulham ruthlessly capitalised on an errant clearance from Vicario.
The goalkeeper charged out of his box to pick up a loose ball, but while pressured, could only find a Fulham shirt with his clearance.
Five seconds later, Harry Wilson expertly curled a long-range effort into an open goal and the inquest – and booing – began.
The timing of the incident was unfortunate for Vicario, not least because a recent report from The Daily Mail claimed Tottenham are actively pursuing the signing of a ‘world class’ goalkeeper in January.
The report did not name names, however, and TEAMtalk tasked transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, with looking into the claims.
Sources told Fletcher that the claims made by The Mail were wide of the mark. Indeed, senior figures at Hotspur Way describe Vicario as ‘integral’ to the project, with one source adding that the 29-year-old is seen as a future captaincy candidate alongside James Maddison.
As such, any addition in the goalkeeping department is likely to add depth, rather than usurp Vicario as the starter.
The fact Vicario committed a costly error against Fulham will not change the minds of Spurs’ decision-makers who on the whole, are more than satisfied with the Italian.
What Frank, Vicario and Wilson said about blunder
Spurs fans booed Vicario at various points throughout the match following his error.
Speaking post-match, under-fire manager, Thomas Frank, showed no hesitation in taking those fans that booed to task.
“I heard some of our fans apparently booed the incident and booed after, which, in my opinion is completely unacceptable,” he told The BBC.
“[They] can’t be true Tottenham fans that do that. Fair enough booing after the game, no problem, but when we are playing, we are supporting each other, we are behind each other going forward.”
Vicario – showcasing the leadership abilities Spurs adore – took responsibility for the blunder when speaking to Sky Sports straight after the match.
“The second goal was a mistake of mine, I take responsibility for that,” he said.
“The intent was to clear the ball long and I just hit the ball in a bad way. It was an even bigger mountain to climb.”
On being targeted with boos, Vicario added: “I’m a big man, what can I say? We cannot be influenced by the situation in the stands. The fans have the right to do what they think.
“It’s on us to stay more calm, to focus on ourselves. We are lacking in composure and calmness to overturn results. Today is a bad defeat and it’s tough to accept.”
One key figure in the incident – goalscorer Wilson – appeared to suggest Vicario wasn’t fully to blame.
“I felt like the goalkeeper was out of the box for ages,” Wilson said.
“I was surprised none of the back four went back to the line. When none of them defended the goal, my eyes lit up a bit.
“[Destiny] Udogie slipped too, which gave me a bit of extra time. Then it was all about trying to make the right contact and get it on target. I had a good feeling, as soon as it left my foot, that it was on the right line.”
Ten seconds passed between Vicario coming out of his box and Wilson shooting – which was five seconds after the clearance.
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