Tottenham Hotspur signed Cristian Romero from Atalanta this summer, on a loan deal which is set to become a permanent transfer in the longer term.
The defender was very highly rated in Serie A, with the Italian media feeling he was one of the best in the top division last season. That saw interest in him rise, but no club seriously made a move until Tottenham decided he was the man they wanted.
Barcelona had been linked, yet given the Catalan side’s financial situation it was hard to believe they could have put together the transfer fee commitment and wages required. It was even claimed that Barca not signing Romero was one of the final straws for Lionel Messi, who moved to PSG earlier this week.
Romero took part in Spurs media duties this week, and part of that involved speaking to Spanish newspaper AS.
He was asked about his move to the London club, and said: “With even more strength, with more goals ahead, to continue growing and continue being in the national team, which is what I love the most. That was why I decided to come to Tottenham, it will give me more experience, a great club, I will be able to play in the best league in the world, it is very important to me.”
Quizzed on the Barcelona interest, Romero insinuated there was something in it, and that he chose Spurs instead: “Yes, yes, I knew it (about interest), but I ended up deciding on Tottenham because they were firm from the first day, I wanted to play in the Premier League, I decided from a football point of view.”
Now he’s tasked with learning English as soon as possible, and it appears he’s snatched the helping hand of a teammate: “I took Gio’s translator from him. Better English than I have. I will start studying when I move, but it is something that I have to learn yes or yes, I regret not having studied it before.”
