Heung-min Son has become a Tottenham Hotspur legend over his nine-year spell at the club, even developing into a Premier League superstar.
The South Korean icon has now netted 160 goals and provided 83 assists in 401 appearances for the Lilywhites, and he’s now leading his side out with the captain’s armband, which just highlights his development as a player.
The service that Son has given to Tottenham has been absolutely priceless, and he’s even performing this season without his partner in crime, Harry Kane, scoring 15 league goals.
However, there’s a summer signing who’s been just as important as the number 7 this season, even becoming just as valuable as Son himself.
What Spurs paid for Guglielmo Vicario
Going into the summer transfer window, signing a new number one was arguably the most important task, with long-term goalkeeper Hugo Lloris leaving the club.
After months of scouting, Guglielmo Vicario was selected as the best possible replacement for the French icon after impressing for Serie A side Empoli.
In truth, football fans outside of Italy were likely to have not heard of Vicario prior to his move to England, but he kept seven clean sheets last season, making 3.1 saves per game.
Spurs officially completed the signing of the Italian in June, settling for a fee of £17.2m, with the number 13 signing a contract until 2028, but what is the first-choice keeper valued at today?
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ByTom Lever Vicario’s transfer value in 2024
The pressure of quickly adapting to the Premier League is always a difficult task for foreign players, but his first home game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium couldn’t have gone any better.
Against Manchester United, Vicario played a huge role in Postecoglou’s side picking up a 2-0 victory, making six saves, preventing 1.46 goals, and most impressively, having a 92% pass accuracy.
Over the rest of the campaign, the 27-year-old has gone from strength to strength, even becoming a frequent member of the Italian national team, and cementing himself as one of the most reliable players in between the sticks in the Premier League.
Vicario has featured in every single league game this season for Spurs, keeping six clean sheets and preventing a whopping 4.85 goals, the highest in the league, which could prove to be the difference between Champions League qualification and falling short.
#1 Andre Onana, Ederson
£51m
#2 Aaron Ramsdale, Bart Verbruggen
£43m
#3 David Raya
£34m
#4 Vicario, Alisson, Sanchez, Kelleher
£26m
As you can see, his instant success has made him the joint-sixth highest-valued goalkeeper in the Premier League, now being worth the same amount as Liverpool’s Alisson Becker.
However, this is also the exact same value as Son, and over time, it seems inevitable that the goalkeeper will overtake the 31-year-old attacker in terms of worth.
Between now and the end of the season, the goal for Vicario will be to continue to impress, not just the Tottenham coaching staff but also Luciano Spalleti, with the upcoming 2024 European Championships around the corner.
Overall, it’s extremely clear that Spurs truly hit the jackpot on the star who was once called “unbelievable” by legendary Italian Gianluigi Buffon, and they certainly have the goalkeeper spot nailed down for the foreseeable future.
Market Movers
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