Cristian Romero says £27m Tottenham player has told him he doesn’t want to leave

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has waxed lyrical about Spurs and Argentina teammate Giovani Lo Celso.

The Tottenham centre-back spoke to the Evening Standard ahead of Spurs’ Premier League trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.

Tottenham have got off to a good start this season, securing four points from their opening two league games.

Spurs were especially impressive against Manchester United last week, running out 2-0 winners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Romero has featured in both of the Lilywhites’ opening two league games, but Lo Celso was an unused substitute on both occasions.

With the transfer window closing in a week’s time, the £27million playmaker’s Spurs future remains uncertain.

Speculation over Lo Celso’s future persists amid links with the likes of Barcelona and Real Betis.

However, Romero has stressed that his compatriot doesn’t want to leave Tottenham. Instead, he wants to fight for his place.

“Gio is a fantastic player,” said Romero. “Obviously, I know him, he’s my friend, but Gio the player can bring so much to Tottenham.

“He’s an intelligent player, he can bring so much to the forwards. I hope he can stay and he has chances.

“I know he wants to stay. He’s willing, he wants to compete and have a great year in the Premier League. That’s really important.”

Our view

When a player wants to stay and fight for his place, it’s always good to hear as both a fan and as a coach.

And it’s not like Lo Celso isn’t of the required standard. He did well on loan at Villarreal and continues to do so for Argentina.

However, whether Tottenham will give him the chance to stay remains to be seen. With a week left of the window, there could yet be further developments.