Antonio Conte believes Cristian Romero is ‘perfect’ for the Premier League and has confirmed Tottenham have an obligation to buy the defender at the end of the season.
Tottenham secured the signing of the centre-back from Atalanta last summer, with Romero moving to the Premier League on an initial loan deal after a series of impressive performances in Serie A.
The Argentina international has endured a frustrating first season with injuries in English football, but Conte remains confident that the 23-year-old – who was named as Serie A’s best defender in 2020/21 – can develop into a central figure for his side.
Conte has now confirmed that the deal to sign Romero included an obligation, as opposed to an option, to buy the defender with Spurs set to pay a fee of around €50m to finalise the agreement.
“He’s on loan but we have an obligation to buy,” Conte said to the media ahead of Spurs’ clash with Southampton on Wednesday evening. “We bought him!”
Romero has not featured in the Premier League since sustaining a hamstring injury whilst on international duty in November, but returned with an impressive performance for the FA Cup win over Brighton last weekend.
Conte believes the centre-back can build on that showing and insists Romero is ‘perfect’ for the demands of the Premier League.
“He is perfect for this league. 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.”
