Tottenham ace Cristian Romero has more than justified £42million price tag as ‘Premier League’s best’ verdict emerges
Although his disciplinary record has proved to be conspicuous at times, it is hard to argue that Tottenham defender Cristian Romero was ultimately a steal.
Four red cards since his Tottenham debut in August 2021 doesn’t make for good reading, but Spurs fans have quickly learned they might just have to live with this as Romero’s defensive ability continues proving to be irreplaceable.
There are few defenders in world football more established than the World Cup winner, and a recent article published by football data website, Squawka, proves this.
According to the website (21 December), which was ranking the top-five Premier League centre-backs so far this season and asked the question “So who are the Premier League’s best right now?”, Romero has edged out the likes of Gabriel, Ezri Konsa, Thiago Silva and Virgil van Dijk to come out on top.
A ‘Squawka Score’ was established for each centre-back and is defined by the website as being “based on 30 different metrics that include ground and aerial duel win percentages, interceptions, last man tackles, discipline, clearances, long ball accuracy, forward pass accuracy among others”.
Romero’s ‘Squawka Score’ of 76 per cent just edged out second-placed van Dijk, who was awarded a score of 75 per cent, and demonstrates that he has undoubtedly, as the data proves, been one of the finest central defenders in England’s top flight this year.
In hindsight, the £42million Tottenham paid to Serie A side Atalanta for the Argentina international back in 2021 (Sky Sports News, 7 August) now looks to be a true steal, especially when considering Romero is still just 25 years old.
Since his return to the side following a three-match suspension after he was sent off in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (6 November), Tottenham’s defence has looked far more assured.
Ange Postecoglou’s side conceded six goals in the three matches without Romero, failing to win once, with that number halving to just three in the three matches since the Argentinian’s return, while they also kept their first clean sheet since 23 October with a 2-0 win away at Nottingham Forest last time out (15 December).
The Tottenham vice-captain is undoubtedly one of the most important players in the team, a statement that the numbers certainly back up.
As per fbref, Romero ranks in the top six per cent of his positional peers in the Premier League this season for the number of tackles he has won (1.68 per 90), and the best 96 per cent of players when his tackle and interception totals are combined (3.84 per 90).
His ability on the ball is crucial to the way Postecoglou wants his team to play, ranking in the top 16 per cent of his positional peers for the number of progressive carries he has made (1.28 per 90) and the top 13 per cent when it comes to his total number of carries into the final third (1.44 per 90).
His passing is sublime, with Romero sitting in the top eight per cent of Premier League centre-backs this year for his total number of passes into the penalty area (0.64 per 90) and top six per cent for the number of progressive passes he has played (6.64 per 90).
As if his ability on the ball and in defence weren’t enough, Romero has also chipped in with the goalscoring, netting three times in the league this year, which places him in the top one per cent of his positional peers for the number of goals he has scored (0.24 per 90).
If Romero could find a way to cut his poor disciplinary issues out of his game, the data and stats suggest he could truly become one of the world’s best in his position, if he isn’t already.
In other Tottenham news, a BBC Sport pundit has dropped a “pressure” verdict regarding Postecoglou.