It is nearly time for the whole Tottenham squad to be reunited, ahead of the first pre-season under Antonio Conte. The Italian led his side to a fourth-place finish last season, meaning a return to Champions League football for the Lilywhites.
Spurs have already made four signings during the summer transfer window, with more incomings and some outgoings still expected. The likes of Djed Spence and Clement Lenglet have been heavily linked and Conte will be looking to continue growing and strengthening his squad, whilst he can.
For now, the 52-year-old will be focused on welcoming his squad back to Hotspur Way, ahead of a busy pre-season. Some players return to N17 last week, with the rest joining them throughout this week, before the trip to South Korea.
READ MORE: The Tottenham players back for pre-season today, five who started early and when others return
This will include the new arrivals meeting their new teammates and hopefully being able to settle in quickly and impress their new boss. Two players who could have an interesting meet are newbie Richarlison and Cristian Romero.
DON'T MISS:Surprise faces return to Hotspur Way for Tottenham pre-season training as new signings spotted
Fabio Paratici's 3 Tottenham transfer tasks to complete for Antonio Conte before pre-season tour
Steven Bergwijn exit not agreed yet but transfer proves Conte has complete control at Tottenham
Romero only made the move to N17 last summer and he made an immediate impact. The Argentine made 22 Premier League appearances, producing 72 clearances and 148 recoveries.
Earlier this month, ex-Lilywhites defender Jonathan Woodgate, gave his verdict on the 24-year-old. "I like Romero, I watched him quite a bit when he was at Atalanta. He’s a front-foot defender, he’s aggressive. I like his authority," Woodgate admitted.
Romero became a key part of Conte's back three, often alongside Eric Dier and Ben Davies. The defender would always give 100 per cent, showing his aggression and fight to help his side win.
Even when his side were winning, the Argentine would always be there to put in crunching tackles. This was seen in March when Spurs beat Everton 5-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Conte's side found themselves 2-0 up within 20 minutes, but that didn't stop Romero sliding in for a strong challenge on Richarlison, which earned him a yellow card. The duo battled in both of Spurs' fixtures against Everton last year, with the pair challenging each other whenever they had the opportunity.
Some believe the rivalry started in a Argentina vs Brazil game last year, which saw both Romero and Giovani Lo Celso caught up in the incident involving Brazil's national health surveillance agency ANVISA, who insisted four Argentina players hadn't completed their 14-day self-isolation.
Richarlison then put up an Instagram post and captioned it, "Anvisa 1-0 Argentina," so some believe this sparked a rivalry. After the 5-0 victory in March, Romero put up an Instagram story of a picture from the match, with the score at the bottom.
The picture he chose was one of the Brazilian on the floor, after the Spurs defender had challenged him. Whether the rivalry began on international duty or not, the duo will now be teammates at Tottenham, but this could actually be beneficial for Conte.
Both players have an aggressive quality to their game on the pitch, not being afraid to use it to their advantage, defensively and in the attacking half. Although they will be playing at opposite ends of the field, they can both use this as a benefit against opposing sides.
Their aggression potentially highlights that they do have more similar attributes than they may be expected and this could help form their relationship at Tottenham. Romero will want to welcome the new arrival and Richarlison will want to get to know his new teammates and settle in as quickly as possible.
There may have been a rivalry when they were on opposite sides but maybe this could now be turned into a solid bond at Spurs, that no one expected.
READ NEXT:
The seven Tottenham transfers expected to solve Antonio Conte's foreign player limit issues
Richarlison revelation shows Tottenham why missing out on Gabriel Jesus transfer is no bad thing
Giovani Lo Celso could help secure Antonio Conte's next signing for Tottenham with £26m defender
Full Tottenham Premier League fixture list for 2022/23
READ MORE: Richarlison signs, Bergwijn sold, Paratici's final transfer call: Conte's dream Tottenham attack
