This article was written on January 17, 2023, when Vicario was linked to Tottenham, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Feels like a lifetime ago. The Old Lady, for example, had still not received a point deduction, but what hasn’t changed is the quality of Vicario who is now on the verge of joining Spurs. Here’s a profile of Italy’s most underrated goalkeeper.
“We have an extraordinary goalkeeper and he’s proved it so many times,” Empoli coach Paolo Zanetti praised Vicario after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sampdoria at the Stadio Castellani last night when the Italian keeper shone with – at least – three crucial saves that helped the Tuscans move 13 points clear of the drop zone.
Vicario’s high-level performances are no surprise for those watching Serie A week in and week out. Last season, in his first-ever Serie A campaign as a starter, he made 152 saves from 222 shots faced, meaning his saving percentage was 68.47%, as highlighted by FootyStats.
His stats are even more impressive this season having saved 53 shots from 75 (70.67%) and keeping 33% clean sheets, six out of 18, almost as many as in the entire last campaign when he managed seven in 38 matches.
Born in Udine on October 7, 1996, Vicario made his Serie A debut with Cagliari in a 1-0 loss against Inter on April 11, 2021. He was the second-choice goalkeeper for the Rossoblu and only played three more games before completing an initial loan move to Empoli with an option to buy.
Not many outside Serie A have heard of him. Vicario has never played for Italy’s youth teams and has yet to make his senior debut with the Azzurri, although Roberto Mancini called him up twice, first in September 2022 and then the following November when the Azzurri sadly trained in Coverciano while other elite countries were facing off in Qatar.
It was just a matter of time before big clubs in Italy and Europe started noticing the talented goalkeeper who likes keeping a low profile off the pitch, but is an absolute difference-maker between the sticks.
The first transfer rumours about Vicario emerged in November when he was linked with a move to Tottenham or Juventus, two clubs with experienced goalkeepers which will likely look for long-time replacements in the coming months.
It would make sense for both clubs who need to keep an eye on their finances while trying to reinforce the team. This wasn’t exactly the case for Juventus until a few months ago, but with a financial investigation involving the club and the need to reduce their €239m losses, the Bianconeri will be looking for sustainable investments in the near future and Vicario is definitely an excellent value-for-money signing, also considering his low salary.
As per Tuttosport, Empoli value their goalkeeper at €30m, just as much as Bayern Munich paid to get Manuel Neuer from Schalke 04 in the summer of 2011.
The Bavarians are now interested in Vicario, according to Tuttosport and Repubblica, and have already made a €20m bid to secure his signature in January given that Neuer will remain out of action for several months due to a knee injury.
It is still not enough to secure his signature, but surely it is not surprising to see Vicario linked with a move to a top club. Soon he will become a permanent part of the Azzurri and perhaps, if he can keep the same standards also at a top side, he would become a threat to Gigio Donnarumma’s starting spot with the Azzurri.
@lorebetto
Does this mean that Bayern Munich have washed their hands of Nübel? Vicario and Nübel are the same age, and he was supposed to be their next Neuer.
I would sit Donnaruma and play this man over him.
i woudn’t romulus, wait and see what happens with this guy