Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti’s comments about Guglielmo Vicario raised questions, but it’s reported the goalkeeper was determined to leave Tottenham Hotspur long before Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival.
The Bianconeri are expected to swoop for Italy international Vicario this month after Paris Saint-Germain moved ahead in the race for Parma and Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
When asked about the situation, Juve boss Spalletti’s comments raised a few eyebrows.
“Vicario is an experienced goalkeeper who has already gone through some situations, one of them serious. We have to understand why a club like Tottenham decided to leave him out, what evaluations they made.”
Juventus and Tottenham doubts on Vicario
This was seemingly referring to the sports hernia surgery that Vicario underwent in March, and the fact he was not brought along for the Spurs pre-season tour, officially due to a minor injury.
However, La Gazzetta dello Sport insist the real reason is that he decided several months ago that he would not remain in London, frustrated at being treated like a scapegoat by fans for his struggle with aggressive marking on set plays.
The 29-year-old had made the move from Empoli to Tottenham in 2023 for €18.5m and was instrumental in their Europa League triumph, but grew frustrated last season when they barely managed to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Although he gets along with De Zerbi, it’s claimed the decision was made to walk away this summer, and the coach is not going to try to change his mind.