Tottenham Signs Emi Martinez After Vicario Departure
Tottenham’s summer rebuild has taken another sharp turn, with the club now moving for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after signing off on Guglielmo Vicario’s departure to Juventus.
Spurs only escaped relegation on the final day of last season. That brush with disaster has clearly jolted the hierarchy. They have armed Roberto De Zerbi with a flurry of new signings and are now reshaping one of the most sensitive positions on the pitch.
A frantic summer in north London
So far, Tottenham have operated like a club in a hurry.
- Andy Robertson has arrived on a free from Liverpool
- Marcos Senesi on a free from Bournemouth
- Jan Paul van Hecke has been prised from Brighton for £52m
- Martin Dubravka has joined on a free from Burnley
- Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m
- Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United for £92.5m
It is a squad being rebuilt for a manager with a clear idea of how he wants to play. Survival is no longer the bar; it is the bare minimum.
Inside the Vicario deal
The clear-out has been just as important as the recruitment.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano delivered his trademark “here we go” on Monday, confirming that Juventus had struck a deal for Vicario. Tottenham have accepted a loan proposal with an option to buy, not an obligation, giving the Italian club flexibility and Spurs a potential future fee.
“Vicario wanted the move and leaves #THFC today. New goalkeeper for Juventus,” Romano posted on X, underlining the player’s desire to head back to Serie A.
David Ornstein backed up the news, adding detail on the structure of the agreement. He reported that Tottenham had accepted Juve’s bid for a loan with an option to buy the 29-year-old next summer, and that all parties expect the signing to be completed after Juventus abandoned their pursuit of Martinez.
That twist has opened the door for Spurs.
Martinez back on the market – and on Spurs’ radar
With Vicario on his way out, Tottenham have moved quickly. Despite having Antonin Kinsky at the club, they are not prepared to gamble on inexperience in a season where stability is non-negotiable.
Football Insider report that Spurs have “made a move” for Martinez, whose proposed switch to Juventus recently collapsed. De Zerbi’s side are now exploring a deal for the 33-year-old Argentina international as they prepare for life without Vicario.
Crucially, Aston Villa are understood to be open to letting Martinez leave this summer. The mood at Villa Park has shifted since they secured Zion Suzuki from Parma, a signing viewed internally as more than just one for the future.
According to the same report, Suzuki is expected to walk straight into the starting XI for the 2026-27 campaign. That projection pushes Martinez closer to the exit and raises the prospect of the World Cup winner staying in the Premier League, only in different colours.
For Tottenham, it would be a statement move: a proven, combative, big-game goalkeeper to anchor a team still scarred by last season’s close call.
De Zerbi stalls Moore loan as he waits for firepower
The goalkeeper reshuffle is not the only live issue at Spurs.
Young winger Mikey Moore, who spent last season on loan at Rangers, is closing in on another temporary switch, this time to Cologne. BILD Rhineland, via Sport Witness, report that a season-long loan to the Bundesliga side is all but lined up.
Yet De Zerbi has put his foot on the brake.
The head coach is said to be blocking the move for now, unwilling to sanction Moore’s departure until Tottenham secure more attacking reinforcements of their own. He does not want to strip depth from a forward line that already looks thin for a long, unforgiving campaign.
Cologne are not panicking. The expectation is that the deal will still go through later in the window once Spurs have strengthened up front.
For now, though, everything at Tottenham feels connected: the goalkeeper chase, the outgoing loans, the aggressive recruitment drive. After flirting with disaster last season, the club are gambling big that this level of upheaval will bring control, not chaos.
