Tottenham will not sign a free agent following Guglielmo Vicario’s injury, while their January transfer plans remain unchanged, manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.
The goalkeeper underwent surgery on a broken ankle, after playing for an hour with the injury in the stunning 4-0 win at Manchester City, and is expected to be out for months.
Second-choice goalkeeper Fraser Forster is Vicario’s replacement and has started three times this season – once in the Carabao Cup, twice in the Europa League – and will be counted on for at least the next five weeks. Academy graduates Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman are also part of Postecoglou’s first team, but remain without a senior appearance for Spurs.
Spurs host Roma in N17 on Thursday before Fulham make the short trip across London on Sunday in the first of nine matches in December, which also includes a Premier League derby against Chelsea and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.
Forster, 36, has plenty of experience and impressed this season in a 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, but Spurs are reportedly planning to bring in younger competition for Vicario this summer – but will not consider short-term project. option amid links with the likes of Keylor Navas and Loris Karius.
When asked on Wednesday if the Spurs would explore free agent options before the winter window, manager Ange Postecoglou told reporters: “It’s not going to happen.
“That’s why we have a squad of players here. I don’t think signing a free agent now is going to help us. If I hadn’t named Fraser in the European squad it would have been a drastic decision. , and you have two left and you may need to take a look.
“Fraser, I’ve known him for a long time, he’s such a strong character within the group and ready to play. Brandon is improving all the time, Alfie has been in the team for a while and the coaching ability that they bring me more pleasure than comfort with what I have.”
Discussing a possible replacement during the winter window, Postecoglou added: “This injury does not change our plans for January.”
Others follow.