Former Italian goalkeeper Marco Amelia, who has been coaching at the highest level since hanging up his coaching boots, admitted that he wished Guglielmo Vicario had stayed in Serie A.

Vicario quickly became a fan favourite after his arrival at Tottenham.

As well as being an excellent short defender and calm with the ball at his feet, the Italian is obviously a rather passionate man who wears his heart on his sleeve, which is one of the reasons he is so loved by the fans.

The 27-year-old also seems to be a natural leader and is often very vocal on the pitch, which has helped fill some of the leadership void created after the departure of Hugo Lloris.

Several media outlets are reporting that Tottenham have edged out competition from Juventus and Inter Milan (One Football) in their pursuit of the goalscorer.

Vicario was a big loss for Italian football:

Amelia has now admitted that he would have liked to see Vicario develop had he gone to one of Italy’s top clubs last summer.

The former Livorno goalkeeper, who racked up more than 250 appearances in Serie A, told Radio Cusano Campus (taken from Sport Witness): “I’m disappointed to think that Vicario, especially this year, had to leave for the first league. Someone from the top (in Italy) could have taken him.

“But Vicario has gone on an even bigger journey than playing in Serie A at a top club. He went to Tottenham and he’s doing very well.”

The amount of consternation from Italian insiders and former players over the past six months about Vicario’s transfer to Spurs is quite bizarre. But it also shows how highly the 27-year-old is regarded in his homeland.