"We Bought Him": Tottenham Boss Clears Up Confusion Over Cristian Romero Deal

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has made it clear that Cristian Romero will remain at the club beyond the end of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has made it clear that Cristian Romero will remain at the club beyond the end of the season.

Spurs signed the defender from Italian side Atalanta in August although the deal was not structured in the conventional way.

Romero initially joined Tottenham on loan, but it was a loan with an obligation to buy. In simplified terms, he effectively arrived on a permanent deal, except Spurs were deferring payment for 12 months.

Conte reiterated this on Tuesday as he spoke to the media on the eve of Tottenham's Premier League home game against Southampton.

"He's on loan but we have an obligation to buy," Conte said, as quoted by The Athletic. "We bought him!"

Argentina international Romero, 23, has had limited game time under Conte so far, due to hamstring injury.

Cristian Romero has been a Tottenham player since joining from Atalanta in August 2021 :: IMAGO/Nigel Keene

Saturday's 3-1 win over Brighton in the FA Cup was only the third game Romero had played for Spurs since Conte arrived in November.

But Conte is very impressed with what he has seen so far.

"He is perfect for this league," added Conte. "But if you can play in this league you can play in all the leagues in the world.

"The problem is when you stay in another league, you have to ask if you can play in the Premier League.

"But when you play here, you can play in any league in the world. Because the intensity, the quality, the physicality that you have here is not present in other leagues.

"For sure Romero is able to play in this league. This league is a perfect suit for him."