After spending months making fun of themselves in their desperate search for a new manager, Tottenham now not only have a new manager at the helm but they are also making real signings!
Just hours after their quest for Bryan Gil became widely known, they are now said to be on the verge of securing a loan deal for Atalanta striker Pierluigi Gollini.
With Hugo Llori’s future still up in the air and Paulo Gazzaniga’s departure already confirmed, Nuno Espirito Santo seems to have made a goalkeeper one of his goalkeepers, but who does the man look like Nuno’s first signing at the club?
90 minutes has given you an overview of everything you need to know about the Atalanta goalkeeper …
Sorry what?
Yes, that’s right, if he absolutely does not offer anything else to Spurs in the coming year, he will at least be able to give the team some half-time entertainment.
The same day he signed a permanent contract with Atalanta 2018, Gollini released a rap single titled ‘Rapper With Gloves’, with the pseudonym ‘Gollorius’ and donated all proceeds to charity.
The single even made it into the top 100, so getting him to stand at a table and sing as part of his initiation into the club will seem a bit pointless now.
Pierluigi Gollini spent time at United Academy / Jonathan Moscrop / Getty Images
Even if you are not a massive Serie A fan, you may have heard the name ‘Pierluigi Gollini’ before.
After spending time at the Fiorentina academy, the Italian goalkeeper was intercepted by Manchester United for just 17 years and spent two years in the Red Devils’ youth line-up.
Gollini moved to Old Trafford just as David de Gea began to find his feet in England and so the first team’s opportunities never really seemed to materialize.
After two years, he moved back to Italy to join Greece’s Verona after failing to make a senior game for United.
Gollini only played 20 times for Aston Villa / Dan Istitene / Getty Images
You may not remember Gollini’s time with United but you should probably remember him from his spell with Aston Villa.
The goalkeeper was signed by compatriot Roberto Di Matteo in 2016, although Di Matteo kicked just a few months later saw Gollini fall into dissatisfaction with the new boss Steve Bruce.
The Italian was sent on loan to Atalanta in January after failing to really impress during his short stay at the championship, and after spending another year on loan at La Dea the following year, he eventually noted a permanent move to the club in 2018 .
Pierluigi Gollini has a cap for Italy / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
Gollini has represented Italy at almost all youth levels until the U21s, but still he has only received a cap for the senior side.
To be fair, with a world-class goalkeeper like Gianluigi Donnarumma in front of him in the hook order, he has probably already admitted defeat, and it was Paris Saint-Germain striker who made room when Gollini got his lone hat from Roberto Mancini back in 2019.
The Atalanta goalkeeper came off the bench for Donnarumma late in Italy’s 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he was not named in Mancini’s squad for their recent Euro 2020 triumph.
Pierluigi Gollini has improved since his last spell in England / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
Given that he has since made his debut for Italy, you probably do not need to know that Gollini has developed a lot since he failed to make the grade in the championship.
He could not really have chosen a worse time to join Villa in all honesty and even in his short time at the club he showed glimpses of class – he only failed to do so on a consistent basis.
If it were not for Di Matteo’s dismissal, he would probably have had more time to settle in England, but since then he has definitely matured and developed as a goalkeeper so that Spurs fans do not have to worry yet.
Pierluigi Gollini’s distribution is one of his best assets / Marco Canoniero / Getty Images
At 6ft4, Gollini is mountain of a goalkeeper and so he looks very impressive when he rushes out to players in a one-on-one situation and makes himself big.
But the best part of his game is probably his distribution. The Italian’s ability to pick up his head and distribute the ball quickly to the side’s forwards has been a feature of his game since he established himself at the Atalanta side, and Nuno will no doubt see his footballing talents as a great asset given the Son tempo. Heung-min.
