‘So strongly’: Ange Postecoglou says he was desperate for Tottenham to get £17m player after speaking to him 

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Ange Postecoglou has admitted he was desperate for Tottenham Hotspur to sign Guglielmo Vicario after speaking to the player over the summer.

The Aussie boss has been speaking to Football.London ahead of Tottenham’s clash against Chelsea tonight and singled Vicario out for praise. 

Vicario has enjoyed a brilliant start to life at Spurs after replacing former club captain Hugo Lloris between the sticks. 

The Italian arrived from Empoli for a fee worth £17 million over the summer and it’s fair to say that many were unsure of what to expect from the shot-stopper. 

But after a shaky debut at Brentford, Vicario has provided a calming presence in goal and made some exceptional stops along the way.

And Ange Postecoglou has admitted that while Spurs had other goalkeepers on their radar, he was keen to sign Vicario after speaking to him over the summer. 

Postecoglou admits he was desperate for Tottenham to sign Vicario

Speaking to the media ahead of Tottenham vs Chelsea tonight, Postecoglou admitted he’s been impressed with Vicario’s start to life in England.

“He’s really embraced the challenge,” the Spurs boss said. “He knew it’s a big task coming in to be the goalkeeper for one of the biggest clubs, and you’re replacing a fairly prominent figure in the world of football.

“It’s a position with a massive spotlight on it. Other players if they make a mistake they have a chance to atone for it.

“Goalkeepers, if you make a mistake there’s pretty much no coming back from it. He’s just really embraced the challenge.

“The key thing is we got him in early. If he had come in on the eve of the season there would have been so much more pressure on him but he was allowed to bed in in pre-season games. He’s really grown into it. In goalkeeping terms he’s very young still and this is his first big club really. There is plenty of upside here and we’re really pleased we got him in.”

He added: “He was already on the list yeah. I was aware of him before. I’d done a bit of work on goalkeepers. When you go into a role you know what’s needed. I’ve got my own databank of information,” said the Spurs boss.

“Yeah absolutely [I was pleased he was on the club’s list]. It wasn’t an extensive list, but all of the keepers on the list were of good quality.

“But there was something I saw, particularly after speaking to him, that made me think he was the perfect fit for us. There’s always an element of risk and you are prepared, but when I feel so strongly about something I’m prepared to take responsibility if it doesn’t work out. I was quietly confident it would.”

Vicario’s start to life at Tottenham has taken many by surprise as he’s been one of the best goalkeepers in the league so far this season.

Spurs captain Son Heung-Min has already lauded him as ‘unbelievable’ and praised his ability with the ball at his feet.

Vicario’s ability on the ball has been huge for Tottenham this season and it’s no secret that Lloris struggled in that department.

It’s allowed Spurs to play out from the back and really embrace Postecoglou’s way of playing football.

Of course, signings like James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have caught the eye and grabbed most of the headlines. But Vicario’s role in Spurs’ early-season success can’t be understated and you get the feeling there is plenty more to come from the Italy international.