Cristian Romero has expressed his “respect and love” for Tottenham but cast uncertainty over the club’s future, emulating his Argentine teammate and Chelsea ace Enzo Fernandes. After the 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, the Spurs captain was left in doubt about his future beyond the summer.
In the mixed zone after the game, a Spanish journalist heavily criticized Romero’s future after returning to the team. The inquiry followed the defender, who was previously linked with Atlético. Romero said: “The truth is that I’m focused on the situation I’m in. I have a lot of respect and love for the club and I want to finish the season in the best possible way. We’ll see later, but the most important thing now is to restore energy.”
In August last year, the 27-year-old signed a new four-year contract with the Europa League winners and was also appointed Tottenham’s captain following Son Heung-min’s departure.
He will represent Argentina at the World Cup, where Lionel Scaloni’s team will aim to retain their North American title. Atletico Madrid were interested in Romero last summer, but were unable to secure a transfer fee.
Coach Diego Simeone expressed his admiration for the centre-back in a press conference on Tuesday: “I’m speaking from the point of view of an Argentine fan. I admire his personality, his character, his defensive work and his footballing ability on the ball.”
“As an Argentina fan, I’ve seen him play more games for the national team than for Spurs, but I’m certainly a big fan of his.”
Romero currently has nine suspensions and will receive a two-match ban if he serves 10 or more before the home game against Brighton on April 18.
