Guglielmo Vicario's father has revealed that Ange Postecoglou wanted to sign the new Tottenham goalkeeper as he had worked his way up in the game just like the Spurs boss. Heavily tipped to sign David Raya from Brentford this summer, Spurs instead made a move for the Italian shot-stopper from Empoli.
Vicario's £16.3million transfer from the Serie A side was finalised on Tuesday evening, with the player signing a five-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 26-year-old will wear the No.13 shirt during his time in north London.
A summer of change in the capital following Postecoglou's arrival as head coach and with the club needing to bring in a host of new players and move some of the current squad on, Vicario is expected to replace Hugo Lloris, who has signalled his intent for a new challenge, as Spurs' No.1. Following his transfer to Tottenham, the goalkeeper's father, Michele, has opened up on why exactly Postecoglou was so intent on signing the ex-Venezia shot-stopper and also the clubs who wanted to sign him in January.
"A week ago, he had a video call with his new coach, Ange Postecoglou," he told Italian publication Messaggero Veneto (via Football Italia). "They spoke in English and the coach told him that he had chosen him because Guglielmo worked his way up just like him. The coach was then impressed to see that the boy already knows English.
"In January, two other English clubs had come forward, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, but Empoli wanted to postpone everything until the summer."
Amid previous links with Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli, the player's father has stated that he would not have preferred his son to have remained in his home country.
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"No, we would not have preferred to see him continue playing in Italy," he added. "My wife has always had a dream to go and study in England, then she had to make other choices. Seeing her son realise a dream that belonged to her is an unimaginable feeling of satisfaction."
Vicario Sr. will have plenty of time to watch his son in action over the coming years after revealing that he and his wife will now retire following the goalkeeper's move to north London.
"My wife, like me, will retire," he revealed. "Let’s just say we’ll have more free time at our disposal."
Following Vicario's move to Tottenham, the ex-Udinese youngster did sit down with SPURSPLAY to speak about his transfer from Empoli. Asked about working under Postecoglou, Vicario has stated that he loves the Australian's mentality.
"I spoke with him, and he told me the keeper is so important with his attacking mentality," said the Italian. "He wants to dominate the game. I love this mentality. It will be a big chance for me."
On his move to Tottenham, he said: "Yes, I’m excited, It’s a dream for me to be here, one of the biggest teams in England and in the Premier League. I’d like to start quickly, to join my team-mates because, for me, it’s a big pleasure to be here.
"I didn’t believe this opportunity. I told my agent it’s my first choice, I want to go to the Premier League and a big club like Spurs. For me, it’s so exciting.
"I want to learn a lot of things because the culture of football in Italy is so different. I need to adapt quickly to my team-mates, to the style of play, so many differences between Italian football (and the Premier League). The fans are amazing as well, the buzz when you play well. I love this mentality."
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