View: Tottenham waved goodbye to better option than Guglielmo Vicario

Tottenham Hotspur let Fraser Forster leave at the expiration of his contract last summer, which is looking like a considerable mistake given Guglielmo Vicario’s struggles this season.

The 38-year-old had been with Tottenham since the summer of 2022, when he joined on a free transfer from Southampton.

A six-cap England international, Forster made 34 appearances in all competitions during his three years in N17, as he largely played a backup role for the Lilywhites.

Now with Bournemouth, the veteran shot-stopper is back in the Premier League as the Cherries’ number two, after they picked him up in January on six-month deal.

However, with Tottenham facing a relegation run-in, there should be a feeling of regret over their decision to let Forster leave last summer, as his numbers compared to Vicario’s prove.

How do Fraser Forster and Guglielmo Vicario’s stats compare?

Vicario’s Tottenham future is uncertain as we head towards the end of the season, and the re-opening of the transfer window.

The 29-year-old has not enjoyed a good campaign in North London, with 50 goals conceded and only seven clean sheets kept in 31 Premier League games.

Meanwhile, Forster started seven times in the league for Tottenham last season, conceding 15 goals and keeping just the one clean sheet.

However, when you delve deeper into their underlying stats, it’s clear just how much more reliable Forster was in between the sticks for Spurs, and doesn’t shine a particularly positive light on Vicario’s campaign so far.

As per Sofascore, Forster prevented 1.90 goals in the Premier League last season, whereas Vicario has currently prevented -5.22.

Forster also has a better save percentage (66 per cent vs 62 per cent), made zero errors leading to goals compared to the Italians’ two, and conceded just twice from outside the box, whereas Vicario has let in 11 from over 18 yards out.

Tottenham could’ve used Forster’s experience now

Sometimes, sticking with an experienced player – especially a goalkeeper – over a younger one is the way to go, and that’s perhaps what Tottenham should’ve done in relation to Forster and Vicario.

It’s easy to say that with hindsight, of course, and Forster wasn’t superb during his time with Tottenham by any means, but he was solid, and even that would’ve been good enough in goal for Spurs this term.

Vicario can look like the answer one week and the problem the next, whereas Forster never looked like either, and that was sort of the point.

His experience and nous provided a decent temporary foundation in goal from which to play from, but it also meant that he was never going to be the long-term solution either.

But in a time of such a crisis that Tottenham find themselves currently in, being able to field a goalkeeper of Forster’s age and wisdom could’ve been a considerably more consistent and safer option, rather than rolling the Vicario dice every week.

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