REAL MADRID PREPARE "STRATOSPHERIC" €80M BID FOR TOTTENHAM CAPTAIN CRISTIAN ROMERO
Real Madrid are ready to pounce on Cristian Romero's Spurs frustration. Discover why Xabi Alonso wants the Argentine in Madrid.
Real Madrid look set to pounce on Cristian Romero’s growing frustration at Tottenham, with reports claiming they’re lining up a huge offer for the Argentine defender.
Romero has been one of the few bright spots at Spurs since he arrived from Atalanta in August 2021. But honestly, he’s had enough. The club’s stuck in a rut, barely making any progress in the Premier League, and he’s losing patience fast.
Things haven’t improved. After a miserable 17th-place finish last season, Tottenham brought in Thomas Frank to replace Ange Postecoglou. Halfway through this campaign, though, they’re still drifting—just 14th after 21 games and already out of the FA Cup, dumped out by Aston Villa.
On paper, this squad should be fighting for a Champions League spot. In reality, they’re a mess. There’s no clear style, no spark, nothing to get excited about. Fans are already sick of Frank, and a few big names in the dressing room—including Romero—are looking for the exit.
Romero hasn’t exactly kept his feelings to himself. After a 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, a team that hadn’t won in 11 games, he lashed out at the club’s owners on Instagram. He basically called them out for hiding when things go wrong, only popping up to bask in the glory when results go their way.
Put bluntly, Spurs are falling apart. Frank’s job looks shaky, and the club’s supposed leaders aren’t stepping up. No wonder Romero is fed up.
Now, Real Madrid is watching closely. Spanish outlet Fichajes says they’re ready to break the bank—up to €80 million—for the Spurs captain. The reason? Romero’s told the club he wants out unless there’s serious investment in world-class talent this summer. He’s happy with Frank and the coaching staff, but he wants a club with ambition, and right now, he doesn’t see it at Tottenham.
If Spurs don’t make big moves in the transfer window and show they actually want to win the league, Romero plans to hand in a formal transfer request before June. He thinks he deserves a shot at a European giant.
Madrid are all-in. Xabi Alonso, who’s taking charge next season, has signed off on the move. He sees Romero as the perfect modern centre-back for his system. And with both Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba set to leave at the end of the season, Madrid need to reinforce their defence.
They’ve looked at other options—Micky van de Ven, Romero’s partner at Spurs, was on their list, and they were also keen on Arsenal’s William Saliba before he signed a new deal. Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi are both on Madrid’s radar, too, but Romero seems to be the top target.
Guehi’s expected to leave Palace in 2026—maybe even sooner if someone coughs up around £40m. Upamecano, meanwhile, looks set to commit his future to Bayern. So, as things stand, all eyes are on Romero and whether Spurs can convince him to stay. If not, Real Madrid are ready to swoop.
ANFIELD ALERT: NUNO'S WEST HAM FACE HIGH-STAKES LIVERPOOL CLASH TO ESCAPE THE RELEGATION ZONE
Liverpool vs West Ham. Get the report on Nuno Espirito Santo’s counter-attacks and the fight to escape relegation.
West Ham are heading to Anfield on Saturday, and you can bet they’ve got one thing in mind: finally beating Liverpool there, something they haven’t pulled off since 2015.
Sure, the Hammers only managed a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth last weekend, dropping a couple of points at home. But the silver lining? They’ve managed to close the gap on Nottingham Forest in 17th to just two points. Not bad, all things considered.
Next up is Arne Slot’s Liverpool, a team that's been all over the place this season. Just look at that wild 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, who were sitting 19th at the time, back in November. Liverpool rarely loses twice at home to teams starting the day in the relegation zone; the last time was way back in the 1992-93 season.
But with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge, West Ham look dangerous, especially because they tend to come out flying in the first half. If Liverpool start slow, like they often do, West Ham could punish them.
Here’s what West Ham needs to do: keep up that strong start. They’ve picked up 11 points from their last six games, mainly thanks to their first-half performances. In fact, 59% of their Premier League goals this season have come before halftime, the highest proportion in the league.
Liverpool, on the other hand, barely gets going until after the break. Only 31% of their goals come in the first half, which is the lowest share in the division. Remember when West Ham struck first against Chelsea, Tottenham, and Sunderland? They ended up winning two of those three matches. If they can do the same at Anfield, Nuno’s counter-attacking setup might just cause Liverpool some real headaches.
But here’s where things get tricky. Liverpool never know when they’re beaten, and some of their wildest games have come down to the wire this season. More goals have been scored in the 90th minute (and stoppage time) of Liverpool’s matches than any other team’s. Nine of those late goals have changed the result from last-gasp winners to heartbreaking losses. Just last Sunday, Alexis Mac Allister scored in the 97th minute to snatch all three points against Nottingham Forest.
So, if West Ham do grab the lead, great. Nuno’s plan is working. But fans shouldn’t get too comfortable. If they sit back and try to protect that lead, things could get tense. Liverpool loves a dramatic finish, and they never stop coming.
THE DEFENSIVE PUZZLE: HOW OLIVER GLASNER IS REBUILDING PALACE’S BACKLINE AFTER MARC GUéHI’S EXIT
Glasner Injury News: Maxence Lacroix remains doubtful for Crystal Palace European play-off decider.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner still hasn’t decided if Maxence Lacroix will play in Thursday’s huge second leg against HŠK Zrinjski Mostar in the UEFA Conference League play-off. Lacroix picked up an adductor injury during last week’s 1-1 draw in Bosnia and Herzegovina and had to come off in the 64th minute for Jaydee Canvot. He missed Sunday’s narrow 1-0 win over Wolves because of it.
Since Marc Guéhi joined Manchester City last month, Glasner’s had to keep shuffling his back three. Injuries and the need to manage players’ minutes haven’t made life easy.
Chris Richards started with Chadi Riad and Jaydee Canvot in defence against Wolves. Richards took a nasty knock to the head but managed to train on Wednesday, so he looks good to go. Riad, meanwhile, is just getting back into regular games after a year out with an ACL injury. He’s also fasting for Ramadan right now, which caught up with him in the form of cramps against Zrinjski last week. Jefferson Lerma, another option at centre-back, is still sidelined.
“There’s still a small question mark over Maxence,” Glasner said on Wednesday. “He trained today. There were a few moments where he felt something, but it seemed alright. We’ve got just over 30 hours until kickoff, so with treatment, we’ll see. Everyone else is fine; no one’s coming back, but thankfully no one else is out.”
Glasner also gave updates on his strikers. Eddie Nketiah, who hurt his hamstring in training last month, has had a setback and needs a few more weeks. With no games at the end of March, Glasner expects Nketiah to return in April.
As for Jean-Philippe Mateta, he was at training on Wednesday but didn’t take part because of a long-term knee problem. “It’s a tough time for him,” Glasner said. “He’s been out for four weeks now, working through rehab to get his knee stable again. He’ll be back to help us win games; that’s just who JP is. He’s putting in the work.”
Premier League Standings
Must Read
Read More News