Juventus’ summer-long saga to find a new goalkeeper has reached its conclusion. At the very least, it’s bit of a disappointing one considering the options that were previously on the table and looked like the “favorite” to join the club this summer, but it’s a conclusion nonetheless.
After a Sunday full of drama surrounding a last-gasp effort to potentially sign Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, Juventus have now reached their final pivot of the summer in the form of Tottenham Hotspur outcast Guglielmo
Vicario. Juve will sign the former Empoli standout on a season-long loan deal in which there won’t be a loan fee to be paid, according to reports, but they will pick up the full amount of Vicario’s salary of around €2 million this coming season. Juventus will have an option to buy next summer, which will reportedly be worth €8 million with another €2 million in add-ons.
Vicario has already landed in Turin to undergo his medical exams at J Medical.
Vicario’s rough performances last season have made the decision to move on from him quite an easy one for Tottenham and manager Roberto De Zerbi. It didn’t take long into the offseason for Spurs to essentially say that Vicario’s backup last season, Antonín Kinský, was going to be their new starter and that the 29-year-old Italian was going to be heading out at some point during the upcoming transfer window.
For weeks, Vicario was the option that Juventus basically had stashed away in their back pocket as they chased other targets. When they were trying to sign Alisson? Yeah, Vicario was the backup option. When they were trying to sign Martinez and then Zion Suzuki and then Martinez again? Vicario was the backup option. It was only until all of those other options never happened that Vicario became the choice. That’s just what happens when you’re up against the wall and just a few short days before a new season begins.
Juve are banking on a much-needed change of scenery ends up being the things that has Vicario looking more like the goalkeeper from his early days at Tottenham rather than the one from the last 12 months. Whether that can actually happen is something we will only wait to see happen, but at least the drama and chase to sign somebody is over … right? There’s that, I guess.
