With the revelation of his release clause, here’s what Romero could contribute to Atletico Madrid.

The appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as Igor Tudor’s successor appears to be a shrewd, albeit risky, decision, but it will only be validated if the Italian manages to prevent the North London club from slipping into the Championship.

A Devastating Season for Tottenham… Again

To be frank, it has been a dismal couple of seasons for Spurs, despite winning the Europa League last year under Ange Postecoglou, which secured them a spot in this season’s Champions League.

Under Tudor’s guidance, they managed to restore some dignity with a Round of 16 second-leg victory over Atletico Madrid, but the damage was already inflicted during the first leg in Spain, where the Lilywhites found themselves four goals adrift within the first 22 minutes.

For reserve goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was substituted after a mere 18 minutes, it was a personal catastrophe. However, the entire squad was complicit in the dreadful performance, with no player escaping scrutiny.

Captain Cristian Romero shared in the blame, yet he may argue that the decision to field him on the right of a back three under Tudor was ill-fated from the outset.

Atleti Interested After Release Clause Emerges

Although that may be the case, Romero’s subpar display hasn’t deterred Diego Simeone from chasing after his compatriot.

Reports indicate that Atletico Madrid are keen to secure the 27-year-old ahead of the next season, especially after Romero’s father disclosed that his son’s Tottenham contract contains a release clause estimated between £50m and £70m.

Whether De Zerbi’s influence will alter the contractual dynamics for Romero and others remains to be seen, although the public announcement of this contract information hints that the player might already be planning to seek a change of scenery.

Romero and his agents must have anticipated this discussion around his father’s comments, leading to the question of whether retaining him as captain for crucial matches in the 2025/26 season is wise from De Zerbi’s perspective.

Romero’s History of Disruption

This isn’t the first instance this season where the Argentine has purportedly created waves.

After a 2-2 draw against Manchester City, he took to social media to criticise the club’s owners, stating, “I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn’t feeling well, especially as we had only 11 players available – unbelievable but true and disgraceful.”

If, as appears likely, Romero is angling for a transfer, would Atletico be getting their money’s worth?

Over the past two seasons, the defender has only participated in 57 competitive matches. While that might seem substantial, it ranks just 13th among his teammates during that period.

For perspective, Pedro Porro has made 91 appearances and Pape Matar Sarr has recorded 88.

Romero does make up for it with his passing statistics. Despite Porro’s 34 extra matches, Romero’s 3,128 total passes are not far behind Porro’s 3,994 in the same timeframe.

Impressive Numbers

His 2,779 completed passes are only 228 less than Porro’s 3,007, with Romero boasting an 88.8% accuracy rate—only surpassed by Micky van de Ven (90.5%) and Yves Bissouma (89.2%)—far ahead of Porro’s 75.4%.

With 221 clearances, he ranks second only to Porro and Kevin Danso, with the latter and Van de Ven being the two Spurs players to make more headed clearances than Romero’s 117 since the commencement of last season.

Romero has attempted 116 tackles this season, placing him sixth in the squad, with a 62.1% success rate, among the best in the team.

With 505 one-on-one duels attempted, he ranks seventh, yet his 64% success rate tops the charts.

His 234 aerial duels attempted are only eclipsed by Dominic Solanke’s 260, but while Solanke has won just 99, Romero has triumphed in 156.

With 15 yellow and two red cards, Romero holds the dubious honour of the worst disciplinary record in Tottenham’s squad over the last two seasons.

However, given Simeone’s own fiery background as a player, it’s reasonable to assume he sees Romero as a like-minded individual.

Although the seven goals and four assists he’s contributed are additional bonuses, they certainly aren’t of little significance for a centre-back, especially in a team like Atletico that thrives on set pieces, which could make Romero an appealing prospect for Los Rojiblancos.

In the end, financial implications are pivotal, but whether he’s truly worth the suggested price tag is an open question at this juncture.