Roberto De Zerbi opens up on Cristian Romero and Djed Spence's Tottenham exits

Both Djed Spence (center) and Cristian Romero (right) appear set to leave Tottenham Hotspur this transfer window -Credit:Jacques Feeney/Offside, Offside via Getty Images FIFA World Cup standouts Cristian Romero and Djed Spence appear set to depart Tottenham Hotspur, and head coach Roberto De Zerbi has already made clear why such transfers need to happen. Spurs captain Romero is reportedly heading to Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £34 million ($45.9 million), while fullback Spence is expected to complete a move to Inter Milan for just £27 million ($36.4 million). Spence made 44 appearances for the North London club last season, while Romero featured 32 times despite battling injury and suspension. Both players shone at the World Cup this summer and, despite signing long-term contracts last year, are departing for relatively modest fees. Romero's £34 million move to Madrid is £16 million less than Tottenham received from Brighton and Hove Albion for Luka Vuskovic — a 19-year-old yet to make a single Premier League appearance. -Credit:MARCO BERTORELLO, AFP via Getty Images It also falls £18 million ($24.3 million) short of what Spurs paid the Seagulls for Romero's replacement, Jan Paul van Hecke, despite the Dutchman having just 11 months remaining on his contract. The fee is also considerably below what the club originally paid Atalanta for Romero. Spence's move to Milan comes in below what Como 1907 shelled out for Trevoh Chalobah this summer — a player who logged only a handful of minutes at the World Cup. The £27 million price tag is a mere £7 million ($9.4 million) more than Spurs paid Middlesbrough for Spence back in 2022, despite the fullback now being in his prime and having just elevated his profile on the world stage. The valuations represent a damning reflection of the bubble within which the Premier League operates. Transactions between English clubs are massively overpriced and overseas clubs spot Premier League teams approaching from miles away with their overflowing coffers. Yet, when selling in the opposite direction, fees frequently plummet far below expectations, as per football.london. For instance, what would it have cost Spurs to acquire Romero and Spence from Atletico or Inter this summer? That provides an illustration of the gulf between the Premier League's income and Europe's other top leagues, excluding a handful of super clubs. To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE With English teams not genuinely pursuing either player, Tottenham simply had to move on, and this represents part of a fresh chapter in N17. It concerns offloading players at the optimal moment and not waiting for the substantial paydays that would only sporadically materialize under former chairman Daniel Levy. Throughout his 24 years in charge, Spurs would execute the occasional major sale but ultimately retained players for excessive periods to the detriment of the squad and their financial health. The sporadic major sales ultimately generated less than more frequent modest sales would have. Regarding Romero and Spence, De Zerbi had already clarified on tour what the approach needed to be with players who didn't wish to be part of the club's journey forward. "I was very clear at the start of my time in Tottenham. I said, 'Who doesn't want to stay in Tottenham, who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave,'" he said. "I want proud players who are happy to stay here and to go on the pitch at Tottenham Stadium with a big motivation. If you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference. The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team." He added: "I think the top clubs now, they are not worried about selling players. No. Even Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, when they have to sell, they have to sell. Right price, you don't have to be shy. -Credit:SAEED KHAN, AFP via Getty Images "But when you have to spend money, you have to do that. Strong, fast, quickly, the right player, the right investment." Romero and Spence's circumstances differ somewhat. The Argentine captain had expressed his desire to depart this summer despite remaining a crucial figure in the Tottenham backline, while Spence seeks to establish himself as the starter, with Pedro Porro secured as De Zerbi's preferred right-back in a campaign featuring fewer matches without European competition. Romero will depart with a complicated reputation among the Spurs faithful. His credentials as a big-game performer are undeniable. He's a World Cup winner, two-time Copa America champion, and secured the UEFA Europa League with Tottenham following a string of commanding performances in the knockout rounds. He excelled once more for Argentina at the World Cup this summer. The challenge for the 28-year-old has consistently been availability, with suspensions and injuries depriving Spurs far too frequently of an aggressive defender who can prove decisive in crucial moments and one all the other players looked toward. De Zerbi indicated to football.london that Romero had informed him immediately of his intentions to depart this summer. • Ruben Amorim delivers verdict on Christian Pulisic as USMNT star continues injury rehab • Wrexham boss delivers squad verdict as he hints at ‘big decisions’ ahead in transfer market "At the beginning of my time, in April, I had, I don't know, one million individual meetings!" he said. "And [the players] told me what was their idea. I said: 'Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave'. If you don't help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me! "But Romero with me was unbelievable. Top. In his behaviour, his respect, he suffered when he did not play the last game. It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It's not true. "After the semi-final [against England] we text a message, but I never called him to convince him to stay. I respected what he told me. Like for [Guglielmo] Vicario, like for every player." De Zerbi added: "Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world, but at the end I said I want to respect the will of the players." Regarding Spence, he is a Tottenham right-back during an era when they possess a World Cup champion in his role, one who seldom misses matches and provides considerably more than him in attack. Porro has been a favourite of all of his Spurs head coaches and now possesses the ultimate trophy to demonstrate why, after earning selection in the team of the World Cup. -Credit:Sebastian Frej, Getty Images De Zerbi is keen to retain Spence, but has no desire for discontented players within his squad heading into a crucial season. "What I say to you, is the same I said to Djed and to Lucas [Bergvall] - 'I would like you to stay'," he explained. "Not 'I want you to stay'. 'I would like you stay if you want to stay'," he explained. "'If you don't want to stay, if you want to leave, you have to leave'. If you want to leave, speak with Vinai [Venkatesham] and Johan, because I don't manage the price, the sale. I can speak with Vinai [Venkatesham] and Johan [Lange] about the best strategy, but I don't decide £30m, £40m, that's not my position and I don't want to change my position. It's tough enough to be a coach and I want to stay as a coach. "But I respected the player's ideas and opinions or projects. But if they stay, they have to stay following my rules, decisions on the pitch. After two games, three games, if one player is not playing and he starts to be sad or not correct with the other players, the coaches, staff, the club, we would make a big, big mistake because we didn't learn from the past season." Ultimately, while Tottenham are recouping relatively modest transfer fees for Romero and Spence, with sell-on clauses likely tied to profit alone, De Zerbi needs momentum and fresh reinforcements through the door. In the Premier League, standing still simply isn't an option.