‘Signing for Tottenham was one of the best days of my life’: Guglielmo Vicario on move to Spurs
Guglielmo Vicario tells FourFourTwo that as soon as he heard of Tottenham's interest, he only had eyes on a move to north London
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has described signing for Spurs as "one of the best days of my life" and insists he only wanted a move to N17 after hearing of interest from the north London club.
Vicario was on international duty with Italy last summer when a conversation on the phone with his agent alerted him to the possibility of swapping Empoli for Spurs.
"My agent said to me, 'Tottenham might be interested in you,' Vicario told FourFourTwo in an exclusive interview.
"I said, 'Oh, Tottenham, OK… that’s very nice!' What can you say when you hear that name? From Empoli to Tottenham, it could be a big deal for me.
"Then the gaffer called me, we spoke about football and also about life, and he made a massive impression. In just two days, we arranged everything.
"After a week’s holiday, I came to London to sign my contract – it was one of the best days of my life, because it was one of my dreams to come to the Premier League."
Vicario's impressive form for Empoli last season – he made 277 saves, more than any other goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues – also saw him linked with a number of top Italian clubs.
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On rumoured interest from some of Serie A's biggest sides, he said: "Maybe, I don’t know, but when I listened to Tottenham, I said, 'OK, Tottenham.' I didn’t want to listen to anything else, I wanted to come here.
"I don’t need comfortable stuff in my life. Life is too easy to live in a comfort zone – for me this was a challenge. The level here is the best in the world. It was also an opportunity to experience how people live in a different way to Italy, and to learn a new language in a new dressing room."
Read the full interview with Guglielmo Vicario in the current issue of FourFourTwo, in shops now, or BUY HERE WITH FREE DELIVERY
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.