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Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of Cristian Romero, with the LaLiga club paying a reported €40m (£34m) for the former Tottenham captain.

Romero's future has been in doubt all summer, with Spurs signing centre-backs Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi ahead of their first full season under Roberto De Zerbi.

Having been ruled out due to injury in the midst of Spurs' relegation battle last season, Romero was roundly criticised for deciding to return to Argentina instead of attending their crucial final-day meeting with Everton – a choice he eventually reversed.

Several clubs – including Premier League champions Arsenal – have been linked with Romero since the transfer window opened, but Atleti have clinched his signature.

The centre-back has signed a five-year contract with Los Colchoneros, who open their LaLiga campaign against Malaga next Wednesday.

Having joined Spurs – initially on loan from Atalanta – in 2021, Romero made 156 appearances for the club and helped them win the Europa League in 2024-25, their first trophy in 17 years.

Since his debut five years ago, Romero won the most duels among Spurs defenders (873), recorded the most interceptions (223), the most clearances (524) and won the second-most tackles (208).

And among Premier League defenders, only Gabriel Magalhaes (18) and Virgil Van Dijk (17) have scored more goals than Romero (11) in the competition since the start of 2021-22.

Romero started seven of Argentina's eight games at this summer's World Cup, as they finished as runners-up to Spain.

The 28-year-old made 156 appearances for Spurs since joining in 2021 and helped them win the Europa League in 2024-25, their first trophy in 17 years.

Since his debut for the club, Romero won the most duels among Spurs defenders (873), recorded the most interceptions (223), the most clearances (524) and won the second-most tackles (208).

And among Premier League defenders, only Gabriel Magalhaes (18) and Virgil Van Dijk (17) have scored more goals than Romero (11) in the competition since the start of 2021-22.

"Today, I say goodbye to a place that, for five seasons, was much more than a club," the Argentina international said on social media.

"It was my home, my challenge and the place where my family and I built such an important part of our lives.

"I leave with a heart full of memories and enormous pride for everything we lived and achieved together.

"When I arrived, I had a clear dream: to leave my name in this club’s history. I knew the only way was through hard work, sacrifice and achieving something that had seemed so difficult for so long: lifting a trophy again.

"**And we did it.**

"The journey wasn’t perfect, but I don’t want that to define my goodbye. I choose to remember the happy moments, the lessons, the people who stood by me and, above all, the love I received during these five years.

"I know I wasn’t perfect, but one thing gives me peace: I always gave everything. I defended this shirt with pride and with all my heart."

Pedro Porro experienced a very special day Thursday upon his return to Tottenham. The right-back rejoined the English club for training for the first time since winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Spain and was welcomed with a huge guard of honor.

First-team players, members of the coaching staff, club employees and academy players gathered to recognize the World Cup champion, who walked through the guard of honor amid applause, greetings and displays of affection.

Porro played an important role in Spain’s run to the title. The defender started five of his national team’s seven matches in the tournament and also made an impact offensively with two goals.

His first came against Austria, while his second arrived in the semifinal against France, helping the Spanish national team advance to the decisive match before eventually lifting the trophy.

With the achievement, Porro became only the fourth Tottenham player to win the World Cup. Before him, Jimmy Greaves accomplished the feat with England in 1966, Hugo Lloris with France in 2018 and Cristian Romero with Argentina in 2022.

During his return to the club’s training facilities, Porro walked through the guard of honor smiling and shaking hands with his teammates. One of the most memorable moments came when he met head coach Roberto De Zerbi, with the two sharing a warm embrace.

At the end of the tribute, the Spanish international addressed those in attendance, thanking them for the reception and highlighting the strong bond within Tottenham.

“It’s very special when you see everyone here after winning the World Cup. The most important thing is the connection we have, the family, thank you very much for everything. So let’s go for everything because it’s going to be a great year for us,” Porro said.

After celebrating the biggest achievement of his career with Spain, the right-back is now fully focused on his commitments with Tottenham, who are preparing for a new season with one of their players returning as a World Cup champion.

Micky van de Ven is excited about what the future holds at Tottenham after the Dutch international put pen to paper on a new contract on Monday.

Van de Ven's previous deal was due to expire in 2029, but Spurs were keen to tie him down to fresh terms amid interest in the defender throughout the summer transfer window.

The 25-year-old was reportedly on both Barcelona and Liverpool's radar, but he has decided to remain in North London ahead of Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in charge.

Since joining the club in August 2023 from Wolfsburg, Van de Ven has gone on to make 96 appearances for Spurs in all competitions, scoring 10 times from central defence.

Van de Ven ranks fourth for aerial duels won (132) since his debut, while only Cristian Romero (325) and Pedro Porro (349) have made more clearances than his 310.

And despite back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, Van de Ven is looking forward to what is ahead at Tottenham, the club he helped end their long trophy drought in the Europa League final two seasons ago.

"It's a special moment to sign a new deal and a proud moment for me and my family," Van de Ven told the Spurs website.

"I've always loved Spurs, from the first day I stepped in here. I love the club, I love the fans, and I've developed really well here.

"It's clear the direction the club wants to go in, and I want to be a part of it. I'm excited about what's to come."

Van de Ven becomes the fourth senior Tottenham player to sign a new contract this summer, after Ben Davies, Antonin Kinsky and Porro.

Tottenham's close-shave with relegation has sparked a summer of signings, which includes Van de Ven's international team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke, who joined from Brighton.

Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes have also signed for big-money fees, while Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have arrived on free transfers.

"Micky is one of the best centre-backs in Europe and an important player for us," Spurs boss De Zerbi said.

"He has the qualities, mentality and ambition that we want at Tottenham Hotspur, and I am very happy that he has decided to continue his journey with the club.

"We are building something strong here, and players like Micky are an important part of that future.

"His decision to sign a new contract shows his belief in what we are creating together."

Along with the news of Van de Ven's renewal, it has been reported that Romero is edging closer to a move to Atletico Madrid. The Argentine defender had also been linked with Inter, but is said to prefer a switch to Diego Simeone's side.

Conor Gallagher believes "it's time to kick on" at Tottenham as he looks to help them move up the Premier League table in 2026-27.

Gallagher joined Spurs in January from Atletico Madrid for a reported £34m (€40m) and helped the north London side avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Since his move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gallagher has recorded the joint-most interceptions (18) among Spurs midfielders across all competitions, won the third-most tackles (16) and duels (70) and completed the third-most passes (464).

Nevertheless, Spurs only retained their Premier League status with a 1-0 win over Everton on the final day of the season, with Roberto De Zerbi's side finishing 17th.

Spurs have finished 17th in each of the last two Premier League seasons, and Gallagher is ready to do his part in improving the team's performances.

"It's time to kick on to try and show the fans what I can do," Gallagher told Sky Sports.

"I want to be at my best to help the club go to where we should be.

"Every footballer has things going on and hard, tough times. It's just life. Everyone has problems and I'm just really happy that we came out of it and I ended the season well.

"Hopefully this is only the start of my Spurs career."

Spurs have made a strong start in pre-season ahead of De Zerbi's first full campaign in charge, winning all four games so far, including a 2-1 win over rivals Chelsea.

After closing out pre-season with friendlies against Getafe and Hoffenheim, Spurs begin their Premier League campaign away to Brentford on August 22.

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Tottenham Hotspur faces the season with a sense of reconstruction under the leadership of Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian coach made it clear that his mission will only be complete if he manages to bring a title to the club, and for that, he considers it essential to add more "top players." The Spurs have already spent over 230 million pounds on signings such as Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, and Jan Paul van Hecke, in addition to bringing in Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson, and Martin Dubravka on free transfers. However, the market is still open and big names like Marcus Rashford, Victor Osimhen, Cody Gakpo, Savinho, and Folarin Balogun are on the club's radar, according to english media.

De Zerbi took over at a critical moment, with the team on the brink of relegation in the 2025-26 Premier League. Since then, the landscape has changed; after inheriting a battered squad, he transformed it into a team that now aims to compete for trophies, a year after winning the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou. "I consider a trophy as the end of the journey. I can't handle the end, I can handle the journey. The trophy comes if along that journey you worked well, you were your best version, and the players were able to perform at their best," explained the coach. His debut was a 1-0 defeat against Sunderland, but then he added 11 points in six matches, placing the Spurs among the most effective teams in the final stretch.

The team showed encouraging signs on the tour of Australia, where they remained unbeaten, drawing 1-1 against Sydney FC (winning on penalties) and triumphing 2-1 against Chelsea. De Zerbi recalled the scene of a devastated locker room after their first match and how he sought to change the perspective with positive energy. Now, Tottenham continues its preparation with matches against Getafe and Hoffenheim, before the league debut against Brentford on August 22.

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