Vice-captain Cristian Romero (27, Tottenham), who supports captain Son Heung-min (33), attracted attention by directly mentioning hints about his future.
According to a video shared on social media (SNS) by Argentine journalist Gastón Edul on the 22nd (Korea time), Romero not only expressed his desire to win the UEFA Europa League (UEL) this season, but also spoke about his transfer.
Romero noted, "We are in the semifinals of the Europa League, and I want to finish the season in the best way possible," adding, "What happens after that remains to be seen, but I always have in my head the opportunity to find growth and keep growing in a new place."
Tottenham secured a 1-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals on the 18th (Korea time). Tottenham advanced to the semifinals with an aggregate score of 2-1.
Now, Tottenham is set to face Bodo/Glimt (Norway) in the semifinals on May 2 (home) and May 9. If they win, they will clash with the winner of the match between Manchester United (Man U) and Athletic Bilbao in the final.
In particular, when asked where he would like to play in leagues he hasn’t experienced yet, Romero emphasized, "I have never played in Spain, so I would like to try playing there to compete in all strong leagues."
Romero has recently attracted interest from big clubs in Spain's La Liga, including Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. In particular, Atlético Madrid is reported to have prepared a transfer fee of €40 million (about 58 billion won) for Romero's acquisition this summer.
The timing of Romero's interview release was peculiar. On the same day, Tottenham lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest in the 33rd round of the 2024-2025 English Premier League (EPL) home game held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Both goals conceded occurred during the first half when Romero was on the field.
Tottenham, missing Son Heung-min due to a foot injury for three consecutive games, faced back-to-back defeats with this loss. They lost both encounters against Nottingham this season, marking the first time in 28 years since the 1996-1997 season. Tottenham is now at 37 points (11 wins, 4 draws, 18 losses), dropping to 16th place.
Moreover, the one who inflicted this humiliation on Tottenham was none other than Nuno Espírito Santo, who led Tottenham from late June 2021 until early November before being dismissed.
Nuno's Nottingham is enjoying success this season. With this victory, they have accumulated 60 points (18 wins, 6 draws, 9 losses), moving up to 3rd place, surpassing Newcastle United (59 points) and chasing 2nd place Arsenal (66 points).
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