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Tottenham warned they will struggle to replace ‘rash’ superstar this summer

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated May 20, 2025 1:55 PM ET

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has been keen on a new adventure amid Atletico Madrid interest

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has been strongly linked with a move to Atletico Madrid in recent months as he is keen to experience a new challenge following an underwhelming season at N17.

Spurs have struggled to tie the 2022 World Cup winner down to a new contract, meaning he is on course to enter the final two years of his existing deal. Atletico Madrid are set to undergo a defensive overhaul and have earmarked the 27-year-old as key summer transfer target, with boss Diego Simeone already holding private talks with the Argentinean international.

The Lilywhites have set a cut-price £50m asking price for Cristian Romero, owing to his inconsistent form and chronic injury problems this season. There is increasing speculation surrounding his future, and former Spurs defender Michael Dawson believes that the North London club must stick to their asking price and not lower their financial demands. He has stated that it will be very expensive for Tottenham to replace a player of Romero’s calibre, quality, experience and mentality in the squad.

“Cristian Romero is a World Cup winner and I’m a big, big fan of his, but I’m an even bigger fan of Micky van de Ven. The way Cristian plays, he’s all heart and he’s strong. He makes rash decisions at times, but he’s a World Cup winner,” Michael Dawson said in an exclusive interview with the Boy Hotspur.

“He’s got that experience, and he has been linked [with a move away], but I’m sure Spurs don’t want to lose him. It would have to be a high price for me to lose him, because how do you then go and replace that calibre of centre-half?”

Indeed, Daniel Levy would loathe to lose Romero in the summer, given he is the perhaps only genuine world-class talent in the squad with winning mentality and experience. Since arriving from Atalanta in 2021, the South American’s impact at the club has been positive.

Having turned 27 last month, he is entering the peak stages of his career and it’d be a shame to lose a player like Romero as apparently the club has failed to meet his lofty ambitions and expectations. The last time we played in the Champions League was under Antonio Conte a few years ago, so there is palpable frustration inside him over the club’s failure to recruit top players and compete in the elite competitions.

Will winning the Europa League at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao and subsequently qualifying for the Champions League would help change Romero’s mind? Only time will that, but for now, it looks like the Europa League final against Man United will be the Argentine’s final appearance in a Tottenham shirt.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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