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Tottenham: Star defender turns down MASSIVE offer from Saudi Arabia

By Cole Sutton

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 19: Tottenham players form a pre-match huddle prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 19: Tottenham players form a pre-match huddle prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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Since Cristiano Ronaldo announced he was taking his talents to Al Nassr in December of 2022, the Saudi Pro League has taken the football world by storm. Huge names from Neymar, Benzema, Mane, Firmino, Kante, and many others have followed CR7 for a “new opportunity” that just so happened to (at least) triple their current wages. Although many names did make the move to the Middle East, there were also plenty of notable players who said no to the money in order to continue their quest to win trophies across Europe. Thankfully for Tottenham Hotspur fans, leading defender Cristian Romero was one of many who didn’t give in to the jaw-dropping finances that the PIF are offering.

According to a tweet via TyC Sports (a sports television network located in Argentina), Romero was one of the countless Argentinian players who were offered to make the jump to Saudi Arabia after conquering the World Cup last year. Losing the 25-year-old would’ve been a huge blow for Tottenham defensively, especially with Eric Dier reported to be on his way out as he’s no longer in new manager Ange Postecoglou’s plans for the future.

This isn’t the first time that a Saudi club has been rejected by a star who dons the Lillywhite home kit. Now Tottenham captain Hueng Min-Son also rejected a proposal to leave Spurs over the summer, deciding to stick with the club he’s called home since he signed from German squad Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.

Aside from the fact that losing Romero would certainly open up opportunities for opposing clubs to find the back of the net against Spurs, especially with the new attacking system implemented this season by Postecoglou that fans have coined “Ange Ball,” the trend of choosing money over passion/trophies in club football is one that continues to gain momentum.

While it’s mostly aging superstars past their prime who are making the move to the SPL, we’re now seeing players of all ages and potential leave their current club for a massive payday. 21-year-old Gabriel Veiga, who was a transfer target for many European clubs, agreed to join Al Ahli for an undisclosed amount. Thoughts are that if his current club, Celta Vigo, allowed Veiga to leave, the fee must have been pretty high.

Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos chimed in with his thoughts under football journalist Fabrizio Romano’s Instagram post announcing the deal, with the comment “embarrassing.” Kroos isn’t the first player to publicly denounce the up-and-coming league, but he apparently had some strong feelings about a player so young making the jump.

With teams in Saudi Arabia grabbing more and more talent, will we continue to see prominent youngsters decide to settle for a bigger paycheck instead of a bigger trophy cabinet?

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