Antonio Conte confirms Spurs have obligation to buy Cristian Romero

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has revealed that the club retain an obligation to buy Cristian Romero from Atalanta.

The Argentina international joined on an initial loan last summer, though it was reported that Spurs only retained an option to make the deal permanent.

Fans grew concerned that Spurs could pass up the opportunity to trigger this clause Romero for an initial €50m. But Conte has alleviated those fears and reassured supporters that the defender will remain in north London.

“He’s on loan but we have an obligation to buy,” Conte revealed on Tuesday. “We bought him!

“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.”

After an impressive start to life in north London, Romero picked up a hamstring injury in the November international break. He made his return in Saturday's win over Brighton in the FA Cup.

While Romero's return is a big boost for Tottenham, Conte has revealed that Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga are now injured and are unlikely to feature in either of Spurs' Premier League games this week.

They host Southampton on Wednesday night before welcoming Wolves to north London on Sunday.