Like it or not, there’s a good chance that Cristian Romero will not be at Tottenham Hotspur forever. And, with European giants like Real Madrid circling, our star defender may end up moving on sooner rather than later. So, what happens if he does decide to push through a move?
As Romero‘s stock continues to rise, sadly, so do the chances of him being lured away from North London. He’s already won everything there is to win at international level, and that will only feed his desire to win honours at club level, too.
There is hope and optimism around Spurs right now that the club can finally end its 16-year wait for a trophy very soon. Much of that is fuelled by Ange Postecoglou, and his players appear to believe him, too.
But, let’s suppose that silverware doesn’t arrive this season. The temptation for someone like Romero — a defender at the top of his game — to link up with Real Madrid and almost guarantee himself league titles and continental trophies, would weigh pretty heavy.
Still, that’s not to say that a deal would definitely happen. Madrid may want to sign Romero, but Spurs would certainly put up a fight. Indeed, the Spanish side are well aware that it would take a ‘colossal’ fee to persuade the Lilywhites to part with their star defender (HITC).
In fact, Tottenham are thought to be looking to tie Romero down to a new deal, complete with a wage rise, in order to fend off interest from elsewhere (GiveMeSport).
Nevertheless, in the worst-case scenario that Romero does make clear his desire to leave if Real Madrid come knocking, and an offer is accepted, what do Tottenham do?
Well, first of all, you’d like to think the club would end up with upwards of £80m to spend thanks to funds raised from Romero’s hypothetical sale.
That kind of money can buy you another elite centre-half, but we know Tottenham’s transfer strategy isn’t really about spending huge sums of money on one player. No, that £80m would likely go towards two new signings, so let’s assume we have maybe £50m to spend on a centre-half.
Next summer, that £50m would probably get you Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. It might stretch to the signing of Gleison Bremer from Juventus. It would definitely be enough to sign Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer Leverkusen.
Are any of them better than Romero? Absolutely not. But are they strong enough to adequately replace him? Indeed they are.
Guehi would give you the composure and ball-playing ability Postecoglou’s system is built upon, plus he’s a homegrown player. Bremer would offer the physicality and aggression Romero brings to the team. And Tapsoba is a great all-round centre-half who would be slightly friendlier on the budget.
So, Romero leaving might be painful, but just like when Harry Kane left, life goes on and the team would recover. Spurs might not be able to directly replace the hole Romero leaves behind if and when he goes, but they can certainly reshape and adapt.
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