"He never wanted to be at Spurs”: The new Modric looks finished at Tottenham

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This is the most important month in a long time for Tottenham Hotspur, whose make-or-break Premier League conundrum could see them pulled into the Championship.

Tottenham were last relegated in 1977, never in the modern era. However, Roberto De Zerbi has resurrected this outfit since replacing Igor Tudor during the March international break. Performances have improved, and back-to-back wins have been secured.

Too little too late? Perhaps not, Spurs have climbed out of the relegation zone and are ahead of West Ham United by two points. In a battle such as this one, that gap can make all the difference.

Tottenham are going to need to make sweeping changes this summer, even if their top talents save them from the drop. After all, many of the so-called superstars at Hotspur Way are angling for exits when the season draws to a close.

The Spurs superstars who want to leave

Losing someone of Micky van de Ven's quality this summer will be a bitter bill to swallow, and no mistake, but there's no question that the Dutch defender's sale would hand Tottenham a pretty penny, with interest from Liverpool telling of a £90m valuation.

It was also revealed by The Athletic's David Ornstein that during the January transfer window, offers from Aston Villa and Chelsea were rebuffed for Lucas Bergvall, that talented young midfielder who the potential to become a Premier League superstar.

There's a player who Spurs need to keep onto, but there's no guarantee that this will be the case, even if relegation is avoided.

And there's another player of far higher seniority who's bound to leave no matter Spurs' fate, and he's turning into the new Luka Modric.

Spurs' new Modric is now finished

Modric is fondly remembered at Tottenham, playing 160 times for the Lilywhites before going on to reap riches in Spain with Real Madrid, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.

The Croatian, now 40 years old, did try and force his way out of Tottenham, though, handing in a transfer request in 2011 as he sought to join London rivals Chelsea.

Now, Cristian Romero is emerging as the club's new version, immensely talented and influential, yet desperate to leave the outfit this summer in spite of how Tottenham's relegation battle concludes.

In the words of Chris Waddle, speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he "never really wanted to be at Tottenham".

Expected to depart this summer, the Argentina international has established himself as one of the Premier League's finest centre-backs over the past several years, but he's also erratic and hot-headed and unpredictable.

Romero's mercurial nature means that a clean break is probably best for all parties, even if Van de Ven is also sold this summer. In any case, it's a bitter pill to swallow - you don't want your skipper making his intention to depart known in the thick of a relegation dogfight.

Perhaps Romero will emulate Modric and go onto forge a world-class career in Spain. That is where he has been linked with landing ahead of the new campaign, after all.

But the truth is that these are the kind of players who need to move on. Romero cares - nobody is questioning that - but his wandering eye has landed elsewhere when Tottenham have needed him most, and red cards and injuries in 2026 have meant that he has not played an instrumental role.

There's no question that Romero will throw the kitchen sink at a new challenge next summer. Spurs will likely let their new Modric move on to pastures new, hopefully for a hefty sum.