Since his arrival last summer, Cristian Romero has settled in well to the Tottenham side and become a key part of Antonio Conte's regular starting XI. The Argentine has already made 18 Premier League appearances, making 17 starts.
Spurs currently sit fourth in the table and the positive results have been helped by the strong backline, made up of Romero, Eric Dier and Ben Davies. The 23-year-old is one of a number of individuals that Conte has praised in recent times, although he has also stated there is still room for improvement.
"Cristian Romero is a good player, and he has to be focused in every moment of the game. He has the possibility to become a top defender, but it depends on him," the Italian said, following Tottenham's 2-0 victory over Brighton.
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The Argentine has made 51 tackles, 54 clearances and 23 interceptions, in his league features. He has shown his aggressive flare, with his strong tackles and also works to get up the pitch, where he can.
At the start of the month, former Tottenham skipper Ledley King, was full of praise for the defender. "I've been very impressed with Romero," he admitted on the Mennie Talks podcast.
"I think he's going to be a top, top player. In his first season, he's been excellent."
Romero has already had his struggles with injury, since his move to the capital, which kept him out of action for a couple of months. However he has returned and slotted straight back into his role as a right-sided centre-back and is one of the first names on the team sheet.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Romero spoke about life since he moved to London. "I love life here. Right at the start it wasn’t easy. I think when change happens in our life you always need a certain amount of time to be able to adapt and settle in.
"First and foremost, the language is quite a basic thing and you need that to get by. But gradually I feel I’ve settled in," the defender explained.
Romero went on to speak about the aggression in his style coming from being an Argentine footballer and he praised Conte for the turnaround he has created at Spurs. "Since he’s arrived, the morale in the squad and certainly among the fans has changed totally around. The morale and the spirit in the dressing room is totally improved.
"What Antonio says about football is: join in [with the attacks] when you can and it’s all about enjoyment. Enjoy the game with responsibility, with all your tactical responsibilities and stuff like that. If you get the opportunity to join in then do so. I like to do that," the 23-year-old added.
This gives an explanation as to why Romero sometimes finds himself running up the pitch to try and make an impact whilst his side are on the attack. As the Argentine alluded to, settling into life not only in a new country but also with a new squad and manager isn't easy.
Romero admitted that his fellow defender Dier, who is multilingual, helped him settle in and helps with the language barrier on the pitch. "He was instrumental when I joined.
"We’ve always got on well on and off the field. The fact he speaks Spanish really helps with our on-pitch understanding as well," Romero said.
"From the day I arrived, he was really good at introducing me to everyone and making me feel at home as well so I was grateful for that. I’m not there yet to be able to have regular dialogue and conversations in English, but I’m getting there. Considering I had absolutely zero when I came here."
The 23-year-old went on to praise Dier's recent form, explaining that "he brings a lot to the team, loads as a player," with the England international also being a player who has stepped up under Conte.
Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur were Tottenham's two January arrivals and the former Juventus duo have both also settled into their new side well. Having a squad of players who can effectively integrate new players into the team could hand Fabio Paratici a boost when the summer transfer window comes along.
Conte needs players that will be able to make the move to the capital, work with him and his team over the summer and then make an immediate impact when the 2022/23 season begins. Not only does the individual need to have the right ability to fit in, but he also needs a welcoming squad of players too.
This seems to be what Spurs have and the various languages that a number of the team speak can also only act as a boost. Foreign players may take some time to learn English, which Romero alluded to and having someone like Dier to help break that language barrier will help with this integration.
Not only is it positive to hear how well the Argentine has settled in, it will also provide Conte and Paratici a boost when they target potential incomings for the summer window, knowing the welcoming set of players a new arrival will walk into.
