Cristian Romero is one of the hottest properties in the transfer market this summer, with Tottenham Hotspur currently in negotiations to sign the Atalanta star. But who is the Argentine defender? Romero is a central defender who is at his best playing in the centre of a back three, as he does for Atalanta. However, he can also play as a central defender in a back four – as he did for Argentina in the 2021 Copa America. Romero has developed into one of the best young defenders in the world over the past couple of years. He was named Serie A Defender of the Year for the 2020/21 season, an impressive feat when one considers the presence in Italy of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs De Ligt, Stefan De Vrij, Kalidou Koulibaly and Simon Kjaer among many others. He is an aggressive and physical defender who is not scared to get stuck in and put his foot in. In the past this has occasionally got him in trouble with referees, and he received 25 yellow cards and two reds during his two seasons at Genoa between 2018 and 2020. However, there was a notable improvement in his discipline last term at Atalanta. Due to his aggression, he has naturally been compared to another former South American defender in the form of Paolo Montero. Like Montero, Romero often tries to nip in and intercept the ball before his man, while he is not shy to make a professional foul if needed. Romero is blessed with lightning pace and very rarely gets beaten for speed. He also often brings the ball out of defence and joins in with the attack, making him a modern defender. The Argentine is a threat in the opposition box, too, especially in the air from corner kicks. He scored three times for Atalanta last season and also provided four assists. He furthermore found the net once for Argentina in World Cup qualifying. He is excellent defending in a high line as he is exceptional at pressing to win the ball back quickly, while his speed means he can recover if he makes a mistake in the first action. So impressive is Romero that his representative has even compared him to Cristiano Ronaldo. “He’s a great player, very good,” Furio Valcareggei told TuttomercatoWeb. “Cesare Prandelli, who managed him, said that he had never seen such a strong player. If I were Fabio Paratici and Tottenham, I would take him immediately. “You will put the defence in place for 10 years. Just like if you take Kalidou Koulibaly, he sets your defence in one fell swoop. He’s the Ronaldo of defending.” Romero has also established himself as a key member of the Argentina national team, playing an important role as they won the Copa America this past month. Romero is 23 years old. He was born on April 27, 1998. Romero stands at 1.85m tall, or 6ft 1in. He wears Nike Mercurial Superfly VIII Elite soccer cleats. Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Barcelona are all interested in signing Romero. The Argentine is on Man Utd’s centre back shortlist this summer, but he is below favoured option Raphael Varane. Romero is also Barcelona’s favoured option to strengthen their backline, but the Blaugrana currently can’t afford to make a bid because of their financial crisis. This leaves Tottenham as the strong favourites for Romero’s signature. Spurs are currently in negotiations with Atalanta to sign the defender. Atalanta are asking for a transfer fee in the region of €55 million, a price that Tottenham have not got close to meeting yet. It is understood that Romero has already agreed personal terms with Tottenham. Romero is currently halfway through a two-year loan spell at Atalanta from Juventus. Atalanta have the option to make the loan permanent at any time in the next year for just €18m, something which they will certainly do. Thus if Atalanta come to an agreement with Tottenham, or any other interested buyer, they will simply execute their deal with Juventus before selling Romero on for a profit. As of July 2021, Cristian Romero’s Instagram page has 400,000 followers. His handle is @cutiromero2
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