Vicario: the PL’s most underrated goalkeeper
![LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates Tottenham's first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 23, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates Tottenham's first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 23, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/75a700c954b8a7fde560ea11a6f7ae23e36b9252c61a262a84acb2d69209ab92.jpg)
The exit of Harry Kane last summer took the headlines of Spurs’ transfer news for months. However, veteran club captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris also took a step away from the team, and in a way his absence seemed similarly daunting.
When Spurs brought in Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli to replace the Frenchman, feelings from supporters were mixed. Now, opinions from fans seem to be unified: he’s the real deal.
Nevertheless, despite his incredible success thus far, Vicario’s name still gets drowned out by those of other Premier League goalkeepers who haven’t even come close to matching his stats.
Let’s take a look.
At present, Vicario has the highest save percentage of any keeper in the league, with 84.2%. The next highest keeper on the list, Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, stands at 76.3%.
Some of the other big summer moves included David Raya to Arsenal, Robert Sanchez to Chelsea, and Andre Onana to Manchester United. The save percentages for each are 75%, 74.2%, and 72.7% respectively (granted, Raya has only made five appearances).
Additionally, Vicario has conceded the fewest goals (8) of any keeper who has played nine or more games.
While admittedly his ball playing could improve and hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations Ange has set with his style of play, Vicario is thus far the best in the league at the most important task: stopping the ball.
Recently, the Italian keeper opened up about his decision to join the club.
🎙️| Guglielmo Vicario on his decision to join #Tottenham:
— The Spurs Express (@TheSpursExpress) October 26, 2023
“This was what I wanted, and I didn't want to listen to anything else. As soon as I knew there was an opportunity to come here, I would've signed in blood and come on foot from Italy.”
Our goalkeeper 🇮🇹🤍 pic.twitter.com/uWbh7wb2NT
Vicario has helped Tottenham climb top of the table for two weeks straight. With his current output, he will be looking to help Spurs continue their unbeaten run, hopefully with the end product being Champions League football next season and possibly more…