Vicario is now indispensable for Juventus, while Palmisani wait

After Grabara’s injury, the importance of Juve’s only Italy international grows

Almost everything now rests on the shoulders of Guglielmo Vicario. The burden on the Juventus goalkeeper, already heavy after the transfer window closed, has grown exponentially following Kamil Grabara’s serious injury, which has ended his season because of a cruciate ligament injury to his right knee. It is one thing to have the first-choice goalkeeper of a major national side like Poland as your deputy, and quite another to have a free agent as your first reserve, most likely the Brazilian Neto, who should return to Juventus after his spell there between 2015 and 2017.

Vicario becomes more important
Vicario’s role now carries even more weight, and he remains the only Juventus player in Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad, which also boosts his standing within Luciano Spalletti’s group. The Friuli-born 1996 player will play more matches than he would have done with Grabara available. Up to today, Vicario has played 5 matches, all in the league, conceding 4 goals, while Grabara featured on his Europa League debut against NEC Nijmegen, a match Juventus won 5-0, with an assist from the Polish goalkeeper for Nico Gonzalez.

After a strong start to life at Juventus, especially with two decisive saves in the win against Parma, Vicario it will be crucial to be at 100% fitness. On that front, the former Tottenham player appears to be in good shape after a 2025-26 season affected by an inguinal hernia problem, followed by surgery, which hit the second half of last season and kept him out from March to June.

A future to be won
Vicario will also have to prove himself over the coming months to earn confirmation for next season, something both Juventus and the player want, but which as things stand today cannot be taken for granted. Here are the terms of the agreement that brought Vicario to Continassa: "Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announce that they have reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur FC for the temporary acquisition, free of charge, until 30 June 2027, of the registration rights of player Guglielmo Vicario.

The agreement also provides Juventus with the option to acquire the player’s registration rights on a permanent basis. The agreed fee for the possible permanent acquisition is €8 million; that fee may be increased, during the term of the player’s sporting performance contract, by an amount not exceeding €2 million, upon the achievement of certain objectives".
Juventus look around
Looking further ahead, Juventus are also weighing up other options, with the main one leading to Lorenzo Palmisani, born in 2004, of Frosinone and already on the Old Lady's radar. The club are considering a deal similar to the one that took Federico Gatti from the Ciociaria club to Juventus: a permanent signing in January, a loan back to Frosinone until June, and then a move to Juventus in the summer.