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Tottenham Hotspur will have the bit between their teeth when they lock horns with Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League
Cristian Romero and Conor Gallagher will have a point to prove when Tottenham Hotspur face Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League. Next month, the Spanish giants will host Igor Tudor's side at the Metropolitano in the first leg before Spurs return the favour a week later.
Tottenham and Atletico will battle it out for a place in the quarter-final, where they will lock horns with either Barcelona or Newcastle United. If the Lilywhites managed to make it as far as the semi-final, they could come up against Arsenal – so long as they overcome Bayer Leverkusen at the first hurdle and beat one of Sporting CP or Bodo/Glimt.
While Tottenham will be desperate to exact their revenge on the Gunners, having lost each of their meetings in the Premier League this season, they'll have to get past Diego Simone's side first. Romero and Gallagher will have the bit between their teeth when Spurs face Atletico, for two very different reasons.
Romero has been linked with a move to Los Colchoneros on numerous occasions in the past, but he's remained committed to the Lilywhites, so he'll be keen show them what they're missing out on. According to The Athletic in the summer, Atletico were leading the race for the defender's signature before pulling the plug on their pursuit.
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Simeone has never hidden his admiration for Romero, describing him as a 'great player'. During an interview with Spanish outlet Diario Ole in June 2025, the 55-year-old was asked about the Argentina international.
"Do I want Cuti Romero? Obviously! He’s a fantastic player," said the Atletico boss. Despite strong interest from the Spanish capital, Romero signed a new four-year contract at Tottenham in August 2025.
Julian Alvarez reignited speculation a few months later when he revealed that he spoke to his fellow countryman about a move to the Metropolitano. Speaking to Spanish outlet MARCA, the former Manchester City striker said: "Yes, yes. Obviously, I would have liked to [reunite at Atletico], Cuti is one of the best defenders in the world.
"I share time with him on the national team, and I really think he's a star, a fierce competitor, very strong defensively. Yes, I had some conversations with him, and due to some details it didn't work out, but hopefully one day we can play together."
Romero has never ruled out a move to the Spanish top-flight either. In an interview with TyC Sports in April 2025, as quoted by ESPN, he said: "LaLiga is the one [league] left to play in. I would love to, to tell you the truth. I would love to play there because it's the league I'm missing."
Before putting pen to paper on a new contract at Tottenham, Romero added: "In my head, I always [think about] growing, also [about] going to new places to keep growing, but I don't want to talk about that yet because there's a few months left in the season.
"Above all, I try live the day to day. There are almost two months until the championship ends, and in my head it's always [about] competing to the maximum, trying to finish in the best possible way."
Question marks over his future were dead and buried until the Argentina head coach urged him to join Atletico's rivals. Speaking to Argentine newspaper El Intransigente, as quoted by Sport Witness, Lionel Scaloni said: "Real Madrid’s interest could open up a completely new scenario, not only from a sporting perspective but also symbolically: a move to one of Europe’s giants would place him on a whole new international level."
Meanwhile, Gallagher will be keen to show Atletico what they're missing out on. Tottenham signed the former Chelsea midfielder from Los Colchoneros in a deal worth £35million in the summer.
Gallagher made a good first impression at the Metropolitano, embodying everything it takes to play for Simeone. But the England international eventually fell out of favour and struggled to hold down a place in the starting lineup, so he seeked a move back to the Premier League.
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