Tottenham Hotspur star center back Cristian Romero is almost guaranteed to leave this summer transfer window, and whlie negotiations have been difficult due to the player's wages, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona are three powerhouse clubs with interest in making Romero an important player for them.
None of these teams have made progress, though, and while Inter seemed to be closing in on a deal and in the driver's seat, they may have just pulled out of talks after signing John Stones from Manchester City for free.
And if it were up to former Tottenham managers Antonio Conte and Tim Sherwood, Spurs would be finding a way to keep Romero with Roberto De Zerbi, though Spurs fans would think that ship has sailed after the signings of Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi this summer.
Cristian Romero may not have been the villain
Yet maybe it isn't so impossible for Romero and Tottenham Hotspur to reconcile, or, at the very least, maybe Romero's departure won't have such a cold feeling. Because one of the big things that turned the fans against Romero at the end of the season was his request to head back to Argentina, despite being club captain, on the final Matchday of the season against Everton with Spurs facing relegation.
Months later, Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi is saying that this Cristian Romero story was not actually true. He told reporters, via Lilywhite Rose, “Romero with me was unbelievable. Top. In his behaviour, his respect, he suffered when he did not play the last game. It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It's not true. After the semi-final [against England] we text a message, but I never called him to convince him to stay. I respected what he told me."
That is a bit of a game changer, because while, as the last line drives home, it doesn't really change Romero's future outlook after the moves Spurs made this summer at center back, it does almost entirely change how Tottenham fans view Romero.
Now, Romero did lack in effort and quality when Tottenham needed him the most during the relegation battle, but, well, you could say that about a lot of other stars on Spurs under Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, including Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro who have been fully COYS under De Zerbi. And Romero only did not get that shot at redemption because of the bad luck of an injury. If there isn't a path back, at least Spurs fans can stop despising Romero so much now.
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