Tottenham: Cristian Romero exit verdict emerges after £26million January development
Ex-Tottenham employee Bryan King believes Cristian Romero could leave the club this summer, with Radu Dragusin’s January arrival part of a long-term plan to replace the Argentina international.
Spurs signed Dragusin from Serie A outfit Genoa this January in a £26.7million deal (Sky Sports News, 12 January 2023).
Since he arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the centre-back’s minutes have been limited, with the 22-year-old having so far made just three Premier League appearances from the bench.
Ange Postecoglou has continued to start Romero and Micky van de Ven ahead of the Romanian, although King believes that the defender could soon find himself with a prominent first-team role in North London.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, King said: “I think he will have to bite the bullet between now and the end of the season because I can’t see him getting much game time ahead of Romero or van de Ven, those two are two of the best centre-backs in the entire country at the moment.
“However, does his arrival mean one of those two might leave this summer? If it does then it will probably be Romero who goes.
“Spurs paid a significant fee for Dragusin, so he would been offered some first-team guarantees, and a potential Romero departure could open the door for him.”
Will Cristian Romero quit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer?
It is not difficult to imagine that there will be plenty of top European clubs interested in Romero this summer.
The 25-year-old has been one of Spurs’ top performers this season and is a World Cup and Copa America winner.
If Tottenham were to entertain offers for their centre-back, they would likely demand a big fee for his services.
Postecoglou is unlikely to want to let the Argentinian leave, but if Romero does decide to quit North London, then the Australian will take some comfort knowing that Dragusin is waiting in the wings.
At the age of 22, Dragusin has plenty of time to develop, and Postecoglou would perhaps be wise to hand the defender some much-needed minutes between now and the end of the season to help the former Genoa man become accustomed to his style of play.
In other Tottenham news, a doctor has provided a surgery update on one first-team Spurs player.
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