Thomas Frank has made it clear to the Tottenham hierarchy that he wants a linked-away Spurs star to be one of the central figures of his side during the upcoming season.
Frank certainly has his work cut out ahead of his first season at Spurs, with the Dane needing to assess the players and put his imprint on the squad that he inherited from Ange Postecoglou.
While a lot has been said about the kind of players that the Dane wants to sign, he faces just as big or even bigger decisions regarding the outgoings.
Frank is expected to speak with Heung-min Son before a decision is made on his future, with the Tottenham captain being eyed by Saudi Pro League clubs.
Then there is the case of Cristian Romero, who continues to be heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid.
Thomas Frank has been very clear about Cristian Romero
Alasdair Gold has now revealed that the new Spurs boss has made it clear to the Lilywhites hierarchy that he wants to keep Romero at the club.
In fact, the 51-year-old wants to make the Argentine a lynchpin of his side, and Gold suggests that the centre-back could be persuaded to stay and have a shot at the Champions League with the Lilywhites.
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Gold said on his YouTube channel: “I think the key thing for me is that Thomas Frank really wants to keep him; he wants him to become a lynchpin of this new look Tottenham going forward. He can absolutely be that.
“With two years left, Spurs have still got the power, so it doesn’t really matter too much if the player is absolutely desperate and anxious to leave – I’m not saying he is.
“It could be that Romero feels like he wants a shot at the Champions League at Spurs, it may be that he feels he’s got enough time in his career to head off to La Liga at a later stage. But we’ll need to hear from him and not put words in his mouth. But we certainly know that the club and Thomas Frank want to keep him.”
Frank’s man-management skills will be tested with Romero
Reports from Spain continue to indicate that Romero is extremely keen to link up with Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.
While Tottenham are in a relatively strong negotiating position, given that the 27-year-old has two years left on his deal, Frank will not want to be stuck with an unhappy player.