Cristian Romero’s future at Tottenham Hotspur remains up in the air following a turbulent season
Like many players at Tottenham Hotspur, Cristian Romero has struggled this season.
The Argentina international and his team-mates have endured a horrendous campaign that has resulted in them being plunged in a relegation battle with just over a month to go of the season. Currently sitting 18th in the Premier League table, the north London side will need to earn points and quick to maintain their top-flight status.
However, they’ll have to do so without their star centre-back after Romero was ruled out for the season after suffering a knee injury in their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland last week. Spurs fans’ last image of Romero could be his walk down the tunnel while crying at the Stadium of Light amid reports linking him with a move to Spain.
Here, football.london examines what Romero’s next career move could, claims of a release clause in his contract and analysis of his public statements by a close family member.
Transfer preference
It was after Spurs’ Europa League triumph last season that rumours of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid monitoring Romero’s situation began gaining traction. Having only played in his native Argentina, Italy and England, the South American star admitted in the most recent international break that he would “love” to play in La Liga.
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Romero said to TyC Sports: “LaLiga is the one [league] left to play in. I would love to, to tell you the truth, I would love to play there because it’s the league I’m missing.” Coupled with his admission that he’s not enjoying himself at Spurs, his comments certainly would have alerted the bigwigs at the north London outfit.
The defender then said to Ole: “I’m not really having the best time there, to be honest. But beyond everything, I have to get myself right, I have to focus on the club now. I need to switch on the Tottenham mindset, try to get out of the bad situation we’re in and, like I always do, give everything in every training session, in every match, and try to move forward.”
Release clause
The Argentine set Spurs back £40million when signing for the club permanently in 2022, following his season-long loan. With his future reportedly uncertain amid Spurs’ possible relegation to the Championship, the defender has been earmarked by some as a player who could depart north London in the event of their Premier League demotion.
Adding fuel to the fire, Romero’s father Victor discussed his son’s contract details, claiming that Romero’s deal possesses a release clause. Speaking to Cadena 3, Victor said: “He has two more years on his contract with Tottenham and a very high release clause.
“The English club won’t let him leave for free; it’s between $50-70m [£37.8m-£53m]. For me, they’ll want to recover what they invested.” But football.london understands Romero’s contract does not include a release clause that would allow him to join a La Liga club.
Romero’s surprise behaviour
Amid Spurs’ dismal season, Romero has spoken out throughout the season where he’s publicly criticised the club’s board for the decision making that has seen them become relegation candidates. He recently called them “disgraceful” for not adding to the injury-hit squad in the January transfer window
The 28-year-old also took aim at the hierarchy’s failure to speak up during the difficult moments and claimed they “only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies”. Romero’s open defiance towards the club chiefs surprised his father who admitted it’s not in his son’s nature to be so outwardly brash in his comments.
Victor added: “Cuti isn’t one to make statements, that’s why it surprises me. I don’t know anything, but in football, anything can happen. Today, you might be thinking about being close to your family, and tomorrow, they put together a team to win the championship, and everything changes. I don’t want to lie.”
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