Nottingham Forest missed out on Guglielmo Vicario in January with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur now sealing a £17 million deal for the former Empoli goalkeeper.
Somewhat appropriately for a player nicknamed ‘Venom’, there was a sting in the tail for Nottingham Forest as Steve Cooper’s side attempted to lure Guglielmo Vicario to the City Ground during the winter window.
Empoli, the goalkeeper’s father explains, were reluctant to let one of Serie A’s finest shot-stoppers go in the midst of a relegation dogfight; Forest turning to PSG’s Keylor Navas instead.
“Newcastle and Nottingham Forest stepped up in January,” Vicario’s father tells Il Messaggero. “But Empoli wanted to postpone everything until the summer.”
Tottenham Hotspur now seal Guglielmo Vicario deal
With his £17 million switch to Tottenham now confirmed, Vicario will be hoping to prove to Premier League observers that the wait was worth it. The 26-year-old becomes the first major signing of the Ange Postecoglou era at Spurs. A fitting addition, too; his eye-catching distribution making Vicario a far better fit for Postecoglou’s proactive gameplan than a man ten years his senior, the veteran Hugo Lloris.
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“A week ago, Guglielmo had a video call with his new coach, Postecoglu,” Michele Vicario adds. “They spoke in English. The coach told him that he had been chosen because, just like him, he had followed a certain path.
“And then he was shocked to hear that (Guglielmo) already knew English!”
Six months after Nottingham Forest saw their advances rebuffed, the two-time European champions remain in the market for goalkeeping additions. Though a deal to bring Dean Henderson back to the City Ground from Manchester United appears to be edging closer.
Forest, meanwhile, also missed out on Sampdoria’s Emil Audero and Anderlecht’s Hendrick van Crombrugge during the winter window.
The latter has since suggested that, if Forest come calling again, he would make a different decision this time around.
“If Nottingham Forest come back at the end of the season, I would certainly think about it,” one-time Belgium international Van Crombrugge told Radio Radzinski a few weeks ago.