Four Tottenham targets to replace Guglielmo Vicario, including ‘world-class’ coup and two Prem stars | OneFootball

With Guglielmo Vicario’s form at Tottenham Hotspur causing increasing concern after yet another error-strewn display at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Thomas Frank and Co. would do well to consider these four options as potential replacements, including two from the Premier League, along with an elite LaLiga talent.

The Italy international stopper was at fault for both Callum Hudson-Odoi’s goals in the damaging loss, with Vicario’s poor pass to Archie Gray allowing Ibrahim Sangare to pinch the ball on the edge of the area and tee up Hudson-Odoi in the 28th minute.

Then, five minutes into the second half, Hudson-Odoi’s cross from the left sailed over the 29-year-old in what was another poor performance from Vicario, who was booed by Tottenham fans after his mistake against Fulham in November.

His recent blunders, having made a strong start to the campaign under Thomas Frank, have not only put pressure on his starting job but also on the Dane’s tenure in north London.

Vicario has been heavily linked with a return to Italy, but our sources can reveal how a mooted switch to Inter Milan is complicated and why the media in his homeland are also warning the San Siro outfit against making that move.

In the short term, Vicario faces the very real threat of being dropped for Antonin Kinsky for this coming Saturday’s visit of Liverpool which, ironically, is the club the Czech stopper made his debut against back in January.

Although our sources are hearing mixed reports on the possibility of a new keeper arriving at Spurs in January to either compete or replace Vicario, we’ve identified four who could do just that…

James Trafford

As we reported back in early December, City’s No.2 is very much on Tottenham’s radar after he was somewhat surprisingly usurped when the Etihad outfit secured a €30million (£26m) deal for PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, just a matter of weeks after sealing Trafford’s return as Pep Guardiola’s first-choice keeper.

Trafford is renowned for his lightning reflexes and ball-playing ability, something Vicario clearly struggles with, as has been evidenced by the number of errors he has made with the ball at his feet during his time in north London so far.

It would be surprising if City decide to move on from Trafford again, given the investment they made over the summer. However, he was brought in as No.1 and has seen his England World Cup chances diminish after being dropped to the bench.

Indeed, he was only called up to the squad for the final two World Cup qualifiers in November after an injury to Nick Pope, who, ironically, he has also been tipped to replace at Newcastle.

Trafford would certainly give Frank a better ball-playing option, even if that side of his game is still a work in progress, while, despite standing at 6ft 5in, he is not the most physical of keepers or as commanding in the air as he should be.

However, a note of caution: our transfer correspondent Dean Jones has revealed prising Trafford away from the Etihad won’t be as easy as it seems.

Andriy Lunin

Now this would potentially be a massive coup for Tottenham, with our sources informing us that the Ukraine stopper is very much liked by the club’s hierarchy.

The 26-year-old really excelled during Thibaut Courtois’s lengthy injury absence, enhancing his reputation as one of the best penalty-savers in the world during that time and also being dubbed ‘world-class’ by media outlet Tribuna.

Lunin‘s performances for the Spanish giants led to Real handing him a contract until 2030, but he has since struggled to usurp Courtois from the No.1 role at the Santiago Bernabeu.

To that end, our sources have revealed that Lunin could look to move on if he feels he cannot get past the 33-year-old Belgian, who still has just 18 months remaining on his contract.

In terms of Lunin’s value, that is currently listed at just €15million (£13m / $17.6m) on Transfermarkt, although any attempts to sign him are likely to be well north of that figure.

Bart Verbruggen

The Brighton stopper is a name we’ve mentioned before in terms of Tottenham’s interest.

Verbruggen has emerged as one of the Premier League’s top shot-stoppers since moving to the Seagulls from Anderlecht in 2023, and at 23, now looks primed to be one of the world’s best.

The Netherlands international was looked at very closely by Manchester City over the summer, whilst Chelsea also have a long-standing interest in him.

However, our sources indicate that Spurs are now making regular checks on Verbruggen, and he is seen as one of their better options, should they move on from Vicario.

In terms of his strengths and weaknesses, Verbruggen is outstanding when it comes to his ball-playing ability, although his overconfidence can occasionally catch him out.

Zion Suzuki

A slightly more left-field option, but by no means less talented, is the superb Parma stopper.

Fabio Paratici’s return to the club as sporting director has coincided with a focus on Serie A again, and while that may not have gone spectacularly when it comes to Vicario, Suzuki is a player Tottenham have been watching since he arrived in Italy.

However, they need to be aware that they are not alone when it comes to monitoring the Japan international, with sources confirming to us that a large number of clubs rate the 23-year-old talent very highly, including London rivals Chelsea.

The USA-born keeper, who has conceded 14 times in 11 games this season, is currently contracted at Parma until 2029, so will not come cheap.

He is a modern-day sweeper-keeper who has brilliant reflexes, strong distribution skills and commands his area well.