Gary Neville ‘surprised’ Chelsea did not sign ‘perfect’ £34m star from Tottenham this summer
Gary Neville has said that Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso should have signed Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window.
Romero signed a new contract with Tottenham in the summer of 2025, but the Argentina international left the north London club this summer.
Atletico Madrid secured the services of Romero by paying Tottenham £34.2million for him.
Former Manchester United defender Neville believes that Chelsea should have signed Romero before he moved to Atletico.
The Sky Sports pundit has outlined the attributes that makes Romero perfect for Chelsea under Alonso.
Chelsea should have signed Cristian Romero
Neville said about Chelsea and Romero on The Overlap: “They conceded 60 odd goals Romero last season for Tottenham, I know he didn’t play all the time, but your eyes don’t deceive you about a player.
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“It sounds crazy. I wouldn’t mind him in my team.
“I am surprised Chelsea didn’t sign him.
“I am surprised Chelsea didn’t sign him.
“Now, they might not want to sell him to Chelsea, but I thought Chelsea might be perfect for him.
“Aggressive centre-half in a three, yeah, just surprised they didn’t sign him.”
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Gary Neville gives Enzo Fernandez verdict
Neville has also given his verdict on Chelsea’s decision to sell Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City.
Man City signed the Argentina international midfielder from Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Chelsea received £125million from Man City for Fernandez, making the midfielder the joint most expensive player in Premier League history, along with Alexander Isak, who cost the same amount when he joined Liverpool from Newcastle United in the summer of 2025.
Fernandez wanted to leave Chelsea this summer, and the presence of Enzo Maresca as the Man City manager played a key role in getting a deal done.
Maresca worked with the midfielder during his time as the Chelsea boss and wanted to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.
Neville said: “He is better than the other midfield players that have moved this summer, though, isn’t he?
“Is he better than Elliot Anderson? I think probably he is.
“He’s more proven, I think.
“He’s better than [Matheus] Fernandes and [Sandro] Tonali and [Bruno] Guimaraes, I think.
“So, from a point of view of quality, they have signed a top midfield player, haven’t they?
“You know, United – [Youri] Tielemans, [Carlos] Baleba, [Andrey] Santos – he’s the best one out of the lot that have travelled.”
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