Cristian Romero’s uncertain future is making Thomas Frank’s life very difficult at Tottenham.
Frank will be well aware that Tottenham are a much better side in almost every aspect when Romero is in the starting line-up.
The centre-back’s leadership, defending, and passing abilities make Spurs a far more formidable team, particularly when he plays alongside Micky van de Ven, with whom he has developed an excellent partnership.
Romero would be a considerable loss to Tottenham if he were to leave and would need to be adequately replaced. However, questions remain over his future after recent developments, leaving everyone at Spurs on the back foot.
Tottenham want £70million for Romero
In an interview conducted at Tottenham last March, Romero brazenly declared that he wanted to test himself in La Liga, alerting Atletico Madrid to pursue the Argentine.
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The Spanish outfit have since made enquiries about the highly-rated defender and are reportedly willing to pay handsomely for the centre-back.
However, the figure is likely to fall well short of Daniel Levy’s £70million valuation of Romero, with the Spurs chairman unwilling to budge on his valuation, as reported by The Standard (30 June).
It could prompt Romero to try to force a move to link up with his compatriot, Diego Simeone, but it is unclear how far last season’s UEFA Europa League Player of the Tournament is willing to go.
Ex-Spurs scout Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes that both Romero and his agent are causing trouble at Tottenham, and that a final decision needs to be made swiftly for everyone’s benefit.
“Romero has two years left on his contract,” King said.
“If Tottenham want to dig their heels in, they have the right to. I think this is Romero and his agent siring up trouble. Of course, Simeone will admire him; he’d be a great addition to Atletico, but he’d be a big loss to Tottenham.
“Romero has got two years left on his contract; either this needs to be put to bed, or he needs to be sold because it’s not doing the player or club any good.
“If Atletico want him, put £85million on the table and see what Tottenham say. Otherwise, Romero needs to get on with his job; Tottenham are paying him, not Atletico.”
Romero’s situation is where Levy earns his corn
There is an argument that players who want to leave should be allowed to do so for the benefit of the squad’s morale, as Frank will only want players at Spurs who buy into his vision.
However, it’s not always as simple as that, and with Levy, it’s even less likely.
The Spurs supremo is unflappable in his approach to transfers, particularly in his unwillingness to sell a player below his value, as seen with Harry Kane’s failed move to Manchester City.
The 63-year-old will not be bullied into a sale and very much earns his corn at Spurs in situations like these, so for all the noise about Romero wanting to leave, the decision will ultimately have to satisfy Levy.