Ange Postecoglou has weighed in on Cristian Romero’s Tottenham future in his last press conference of the season, with the Australian sending a clear message to Daniel Levy about the centre-back’s importance to the side.
Atletico Madrid are reportedly working hard behind the scenes to sign Romero, who has two years left to run on his contract at Tottenham.
Some journalists have suggested that Tottenham’s Europa League success may give them renewed hope of hanging on to Romero, but the Spurs vice-captain has been unwilling to commit his future to the club.
Even when asked specifically about the speculation over his future after the Europa League win, Romero kept his cards close to his chest.
Ange Postecoglou says Cristian Romero is irreplaceable
Postecoglou is clear that Tottenham Hotspur need to hang onto the Argentine under any circumstances, given the experience and the leadership he brings.
The Spurs head coach suggested that a player of the 27-year-old’s quality and influence cannot be replaced, and urged the club to do everything in their power to tie him down for the long term.
When asked how key it is for Tottenham to keep Romero and whether he is the man to get the centre-back to stay, Postecoglou responded (Football.London): “Yeah, look I think Romero is absolutely important to keep at this football club.
“You just saw the way he’s been in the last (weeks) and he hasn’t been fully fit to be fair with his toe, but you’ve seen he’s a World Cup winner. He is a winner. You saw that in all the big games we’ve had and the lads certainly respect him very highly.
“He makes them walk a bit taller, so yeah from my perspective it is a no-brainer that making sure players like him (stay), because if he goes, who do you replace him with? There are not too many out there like him. It will be very important for the club to try and retain him, and retain him for the longer term I think.”
Why Tottenham could face a difficult decision regarding Romero
It has been widely reported that Romero has rejected Tottenham’s advances over contract talks, even though the North London club are willing to make him their highest-paid player.
One would expect the Lilywhites to perhaps try to restart talks with the centre-back following their Europa League success, which brings along with it qualification for the Champions League.
However, if Romero rejects those advances and Atletico come in with a sizable offer, it will give Tottenham a difficult decision to make.
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