Cristian Romero spoke of his delight at his start to life in North London in Sunday’s official Tottenham match-day programme.
The Argentinian centre-back has endeared himself to Spurs fans with his combative playing style, with ‘Cuti’ showcasing his ability to combine old-school aggressive, front-foot defending with precise passing and composure.
He said (Football.London): “I have to say I’m pleased with the decision to come to Tottenham.
“It’s a wonderful city here in London and a wonderful club – a club with a growing mentality that’s actually helping me to grow on a personal level. I can say the same about the league, which is the best in the world.
“I’m very happy to be here. The way the club is treating me – the staff, the fans – is brilliant and for me, that means I’m doing my job well. I hope things continue in this way and we can finish the season positively.”
Romero’s loan move from Italian side Atalanta is expected to be made permanent this summer and it is clear that he is a vital cog in Antonio Conte’s plans for this Spurs side (Fabrizio Romano).
In a season that has been hampered by a three-month hamstring injury, and more recently a hip problem, the 24-year-old has made 30 appearances this season for the Lilywhites, with 22 Premier League outings (TransferMarkt).
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As he is unlikely to feature in Spurs’ final game against Norwich on Sunday, Romero will be hoping to put these injury troubles behind him and help propel his team to new heights in the 2022/23 campaign.
On the injury, he said: “l was very angry about the injury – it kept me away for three months and it meant I couldn’t pay back the confidence that the club had shown by investing in me, so I set the goal to be in my best shape when I returned to prove to everyone that it was the right call.
“I think now, coming to the end of the season, I’ve been okay in the main, but I’m aware that the team and myself need to improve a lot of things.
“We’re at a club with amazing players and a great coach who pushes you to improve and grow, so that’s my daily goal – to get the best out of the opportunities I have and to keep improving and getting better.”
On adapting to life in England, Romero added: “My first son was born in London, so this city and this club will forever be in my heart because of that.
“I’m enjoying the city a lot with my wife and my family – it’s an amazing place – and in terms of the football club, I have a lot of great relationships with people in the squad as well.
“If we speak about my adaptation when I first arrived here, the main person who really helped me to settle in was Gio [Lo Celso] – he was the one who I spent the most time with. Sadly he left the club on loan, but we have a great group of players here and I get on with all my teammates nowadays.
“I’d say because of the language barrier, I get on mostly with the Spanish and Italian-speaking players that we have, people like Rodrigo [Bentancur], Dejan [Kulusevski], Pierluigi [Gollini], Hugo [Lloris, Davinson [Sanchez] and Emerson [Royal].
“We have a great group here and a really good relationship in the locker room, which helps us on and off the pitch.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is clear that Romero has dramatically improved the quality of Conte’s defence. It is no coincidence that Eric Dier’s performances have improved with Spurs’ new number four by his side. His calming presence has created a consistently solid platform for the team to flourish in recent weeks.
If Fabio Paratici can add another centre-back of Romero’s quality to provide competition for Ben Davies, then there is every chance that Spurs can cement themselves as a regular top four team.
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