Fulham howler, Tottenham support and Inter links: What’s going on with Vicario?

It has been an eventful few weeks for Italy international Guglielmo Vicario over the last few weeks: From his howler against Fulham to the support he received against Newcastle, and with suggestions that he could be keen on a Serie A return, here is everything that’s happened with the former Empoli goalkeeper over the last few games. 

Collectively, Tottenham have struggled to get going after the November international break. Thomas Frank’s side had been in a respectable fifth place heading into the break, one point off the guaranteed Champions League positions and four points off second, but have since slipped down to 11th with a record of a draw and two defeats since then. 

This troubling run of form began with a 4-1 hammering by arch rivals and league leaders Arsenal in the North London Derby, which was followed up with a surprise 2-1 defeat against another London outfit in Fulham. 

Vicario earned his fair share of pelters after that Fulham game, given that he was directly at fault for the goal that sent the opponents 2-0 up: Rushing out of his area, taking far too long to clear and eventually deciding to play a hospital pass directly into the feet of goalscorer Harry Wilson. 

Vicario was booed by the Tottenham supporters at the time, but those same supporters have since come out and shown their support for their goalkeeper during Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw away against Newcastle. 

“3,000 up here, the way the supporters throughout the game were singing, and I also heard them singing and praising Vic throughout the game, that’s togetherness,” head coach Frank noted after full-time. 

This is not the first time that Vicario has faced criticism during his Tottenham tenure, though. He has previously been called out on his lack of conviction from set-pieces and crosses, an issue which has occasionally spilled into his time with the Italy national team as well. 

Meanwhile, there have been multiple reports in Italy over the last few days claiming that Vicario is keen to return to Serie A over the summer. Two major newspapers in Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport both claim that Inter are particularly keen on  bringing the 29-year-old back to his homeland. 

The Nerazzurri are expected to part ways with veteran first-choice stopper Yann Sommer once his contract expires at the end of June, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for understudy Josep Martinez. 

Vicario’s current salary is not considered excessive, reported to be around €2.8m per season in wages in North London, and there have been suggestions that Spurs will listen to offers in the region of €30m for Vicario in the summer. 

If Tottenham were to sell Vicario, they might be wise to do so during the next summer transfer window, given that his contract is set to expire in 2028. If Spurs were to hold off for another year, Vicario would then be heading into the final year of his deal, which would likely bring a significant drop-off in value.