Cristian Romero has acknowledged he “wasn’t perfect” during his five years at Tottenham as he prepares to join Atletico Madrid. His departure matters because he was a central figure in Spurs’ defence and helped end the club’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the 2025 Europa League.

Atletico have agreed a £34.2m fee for the 28-year-old Argentina defender, who made 156 appearances after joining from Atalanta in 2021. Romero’s final match was in April, when a knee injury ruled him out of Tottenham’s final six league games; he later returned to attend the win over Everton that secured Premier League survival and a 17th-place finish.