Juventus Secure Guglielmo Vicario After Emiliano Martinez Pursuit

Juventus have finally shut the door on Emiliano Martinez and kicked another one wide open for Guglielmo Vicario.

After weeks of stalemate with Aston Villa, the Turin club walked away when it became clear the Premier League side would not move from their €15m (£12.8m) valuation. No discount, no compromise, no deal.

So Juve pivoted – fast.

According to The Athletic, they reached a full agreement with Tottenham on Monday to bring Vicario back to Serie A, a homecoming for the 29-year-old just a year after he left Empoli for north London.

This is not a blockbuster, all-in transfer. It is calculated.

Per Tuttosport, the deal is a loan with a non-mandatory €10.5m (£9m) purchase option. Juventus get a full season to test Vicario under pressure, to see if he can anchor a defence chasing major honours, before deciding whether to commit long term. After the failed Martinez chase, it is a cheaper, more flexible route to solving a key position.

For Tottenham, the move underlines a clear shift in the goalkeeping hierarchy. Roberto De Zerbi has already picked Antonin Kinsky as his first-choice keeper, a decision that leaves Vicario surplus to requirements after a turbulent spell in England.

Vicario’s time at Spurs started brightly. Signed from Empoli for around €20m, he stepped straight into the void left by Hugo Lloris and initially looked every bit the modern Premier League goalkeeper – aggressive off his line, sharp with his feet, brave in tight spaces. Then came the bumps.

Last season he mixed strong performances with high-profile errors and eventually lost his place after undergoing hernia surgery in March. By the time he returned, his grip on the number one shirt had gone.

Now he walks into one of the most demanding dressing rooms in Europe.

His arrival instantly reshapes the goalkeeping landscape in Turin. Vicario is expected to claim the starting role, and that puts Michele Di Gregorio’s future in serious doubt. According to Fabrizio Romano, Juventus have already offered Di Gregorio to Marseille and other European clubs on loan, a clear sign of where the hierarchy is heading.

The move also fits neatly with Luciano Spalletti’s tactical blueprint. The Italy coach, now steering the Old Lady’s rebuild, has pushed for a goalkeeper comfortable playing out from the back. Vicario showed exactly that in his early months at Tottenham, where his distribution and composure under pressure stood out before his form tailed off.

Juventus believe a return to the more structured, tactical rhythm of Serie A can reset his trajectory. Less chaos than the Premier League, more emphasis on positioning, organisation and reading the game – conditions they feel can bring out his best again.

Vicario slots into a broader reconstruction of the Bianconeri backline. Jhon Lucumi has already arrived from Bologna, and the new goalkeeper is another key piece in a defence being rebuilt on the fly.

Juve have made their choice: not the World Cup-winning glamour of Martinez, but the calculated gamble on a 29-year-old Italian who has already proved he can handle pressure – and has something to prove all over again.