Tottenham facing major Cristian Romero dilemma as new transfer interest emerges | OneFootball

Spurs have a crucial summer decision on their hands with Atletico Madrid keen to sign Argentina defender

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Atletico Madrid are interested in a summer deal for Romero, with the Argentine said to be open to a move to the Spanish club.

Diego Simeone is thought to be an admirer of Romero and it is not hard to understand why the Atleti head coach, whose often-attritional approach stands as a counterpoint to his progressive counterparts, would be attracted by the fiery World Cup winner.

For his part, Romero may be interested in working under Argentina legend Simeone, whose sons Giuliano and Giovanni are his current international team-mates, and returning to a Champions League club - even if Real Madrid would presumably be an even more attractive option if they came calling.

While publicly supportive of Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou, Romero has been critical of the club this season, appearing to take aim at the board after the 4-3 defeat by Chelsea in December - during which he suffered the quad injury that sidelined him until his comeback against Bournemouth earlier this month.

"The last few years, it's always the same: first the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it's always the same people responsible," said Romero, in a post-match interview translated from Spanish.

"Hopefully they realise who the true responsible ones are and we move forward because it's a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year."

World Cup winner: Romero’s reputation has been greatly enhanced by his performances for Argentina

REUTERS

More recently, Romero has offered implied criticism of Spurs' backroom staff, making a point (more than once) of thanking the physios from the Argentine national team for his behind-schedule return to action, while making no mention of the club's medical department.

Romero will have two years remaining on his Spurs contract in June, and potential interest from Spain leaves the north London club facing a series of questions.

Most prominently, is there a case for trying to cash in on Romero if an appropriate bid comes in, assuming he is not about to sign a new long-term contract?

Romero is a fine player, comfortably the best progressive passer in Spurs' back line, whose ability to play out through the opposition lines is crucial to Postecoglou's high-risk approach.

He is also a robust defender and dressing-room leader, who was named as vice-captain by Postecoglou at the start of last season.

The 26-year-old has, though, been plagued by injuries since joining Spurs, missing a third of each of the last three Premier League seasons on average since arriving from Italian club Atalanta in a deal worth an initial £42.5million in summer 2021.

He has played 22, 27 and 33 league games in each of the last three seasons and even if he features in every one of Spurs' nine remaining top-flight matches, he will only have managed 23 this term.

Losing Romero would leave a hole in a Spurs squad which is already short of leaders but they would be able to demand enormous money

Losing Romero would leave a hole in a Spurs squad which is already short of leaders but they would be able to demand enormous money for a player whose reputation has only improved since moving to England, though largely due to his part in Argentina's historic World Cup win in 2022.

In January signing Kevin Danso, Spurs have recruited a centre-back who has a similar profile to the Argentina international; aggressive, good on the ball (though not *as* good) and prone to charging out of the back line.

Spurs' other option would be to rebuff interest from Atleti or any other club this summer and hold on to Romero for at least one more year in the hope that his fitness record and the club's fortunes both improve next season, and he can be persuaded to commit to a new deal.

For the time being, Spurs can afford to wait; while they remain in the Europa League, their season remains alive and in the balance, and there is still a chance they could have a historic campaign and qualify for next season's Champions League by winning the competition.

That would naturally strengthen their hand in the transfer market and potentially alter the calculations of Romero, who could be forgiven for growing disillusioned at the club's dismal campaign - even if his injuries have been a factor in their poor results.