Luciano Spalletti has welcomed the “drive” of new Juventus defender Jhon Lucumi and described Guglielmo Vicario as a “top goalkeeper”, while explaining why the club initially considered Alisson Becker and Emiliano Martinez.
The Juventus coach was speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the club’s final pre-season match against the Next Gen youth team. The traditional fixture was brought to an early close when supporters peacefully invaded the pitch, although the incident happened sooner than usual.
Juventus led 2-0 at half-time, with Francisco Conceicao and Weston McKennie scoring for the senior side. However, the main focus afterwards was on two arrivals who were not involved in the match: former Bologna defender Lucumi and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Vicario.
“Lucumi has this drive, this physicality that we could really do with,” said Spalletti.
“It’s a very South American thing, they call it garra, where the character is imposed on the game.”
Vicario arrived on the day of the match to complete his medical examinations and finalise a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The agreement includes an option to buy, with the reported fee set at €8m plus a further €2m in add-ons.
Spalletti said Vicario’s attitude and professionalism had impressed him, despite what he described as a difficult period for the goalkeeper during the previous year.
“Vicario is a mature, intelligent, professional player. He’s got pedigree, one of those players who thinks about the sport even when he goes home in his spare time,” continued Spalletti.
“There are others who take their profession more lightly, but Vicario is one of those I like who is committed. He’s had the right growth process. I don’t know why, but in the last year he was probably deprived of something that meant he was unable to perform, but he remains a top goalkeeper.”
Juventus had explored moves for Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez before settling on Vicario. Spalletti said the club had initially believed a more experienced goalkeeper might provide additional benefits, but insisted Vicario had the background to match them.
“We probably thought that with a more experienced figure like Alisson, Martinez and so have you, that they’d bring something more to the table, but Vicario has won tournaments too, he had experience abroad at an important club, so he’s on the same level.”
Spalletti has also been encouraged by the other players added to the Juventus squad this summer, including Kerim Alajbegovic and Randal Kolo Muani.
The coach said he had already followed Kolo Muani closely during his time at Napoli, including when he faced the forward in the Champions League.
“I had faced Kolo Muani in the Champions League when I was at Napoli, and appreciated his characteristics, even tracking him for a while,” revealed the coach.
“He is a complete striker, he attacks the space, works with the team, is quick, has technique, a bit of everything.
Spalletti also praised Alajbegovic’s creativity and technical ability, while noting that the midfielder’s effectiveness would need to be assessed in competitive matches.
“As for Alajbegovic, he has creativity and quality, class in spades, he’s great to watch. We’ll have to see if he can be concrete in his performances, because he’s got a fantastic foot and can play in a few different roles, not just one specific one.”
The arrivals come amid concerns among some long-standing Azzurri supporters that Serie A clubs and their executives are not doing enough to develop Italian talent for the benefit of Italian football and the national team. Those concerns have been heightened by Italy’s failure to qualify for the past three World Cups.
