It was a busy summer at Tottenham Hotspur and one of their key players finally left the north London club after years of speculation
Diego Simeone has admitted coming close to signing Cristian Romero in the past from Tottenham before finally getting his man at Atletico Madrid this summer.
After years of speculation, Spurs sold their captain to the La Liga outfit in August in a deal that could eventually be worth £34.2million to the north London side as well having a 15 per cent sell-on clause for future profit should Atletico sell the 28-year-old Argentina international for a higher fee in the seasons ahead.
Romero has played seven times for Simeone's side this season, scoring his first goal for the club with the winner in the 2-1 victory at Alaves at the weekend. Then in midweek he played his part in keeping Manchester United at bay with a 2-0 win in the Champions League at the Metropolitano.
In his press conference after that European triumph, Simeone claimed that he came close to signing the centre-back ahead of Ange Postecoglou's second season at Spurs.
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"We’ve wanted Cuti for two years now, we were close two years ago, unfortunately we had to wait another year," said the Atletico boss in quotes reported by Mundo Deportivo.
Romero signed a new contract at Tottenham last year and became the club's captain after Son Heung-min's departure to MLS side Los Angeles FC but a year on and the Argentinean defender is now a Madrid player, much to his compatriot Simeone's delight.
"He’s different, he has presence, leadership, things you either have or you don’t, and he has them with humility and respect for his teammates. He’s just arrived, but he has an important role and is showing what a player he is, game after game," said the 56-year-old.