Roberto De Zerbi is preparing for the possible departure of Cristian Romero (Image: Getty)
Tottenham’s summer reshuffle under the Luiz family is likely to continue to be a hot topic, with Cristian Romero now emerging as the next key figure to leave. The Argentina national team’s agent, Ciro Palermo, was spotted in Milan as negotiations progress on a transfer to Inter Milan. Inter are keen to sign a centre-back after their success at the World Cup.
Spurs are expected to part ways with their captain in the coming weeks, with Inter now believed to be the frontrunners after holding talks with his agent. Barcelona are also interested, but Romero is reported to be valued at £42.7m, making them a weaker pursuer. His departure is the first big-money sale since the departure of Daniel Levy and is in line with the Luiz family’s pledge to rebuild the direction of the club after two tumultuous seasons.
Spurs narrowly avoided relegation last season, 12 months after finishing 17th, but were somewhat overlooked by some after winning the Europa League. While the club may not have faced a real threat of relegation in 2024/25, last season’s results were truly worrying and, without the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs could have been in contention for the Championship this term.
At the end of last season, the Lewis family released the following statement: “Dear fans, during our 25 years as owners we have lived with you through the ups and downs of Spurs. Finishing this season and last season in 17th place does not reflect the status or potential of this football club.”
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“We are deeply disappointed and share your frustration. You and we expected more. We knew this could never happen again. Our approach to running the club is, and always has been, to leave it to the professionals and help them succeed. The problems we discovered were deeper than we realized and had been allowed to build up over the past few years.”
The defender has been with Spurs since 2022. (Image: Getty)
“We know it has damaged trust and we have to restore it. As owners, we are ultimately responsible for the situation the club is in. We are also responsible for the rebuilding of Spurs. Our ambition is to build on the spirit of the club. It’s about bringing back the excitement, fearlessness and bold football that we’ve always felt defined us. That means football comes first. Our board and executive team have put together a plan to meet this ambition.”
“This will require investment in the team, the academy, the backroom functions and so on, but we are fully committed to this. We are not selling the club. We are all on board. We are investing. You will see more of that in the coming months. The rebuilding that the club needs and that you all deserve is beginning. It will take time and commitment, but it is happening. We know that actions speak louder than words.”
So far, the Luiz family has been true to their word, supporting De Zerbi in the transfer window, including signing Sandro Tonali for £100m, signing Matheus Fernandes from West Ham United for £85m and signing Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hekke for £52m.
Coupled with the smart acquisition of the experienced duo of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson on free transfers, the club moved quickly to rectify last season’s shortcomings.
