EPL: Gary Neville surprised Chelsea didn’t sign Cristian Romero

Former Manchester United player Gary Neville has said he was surprised that Chelsea did not sign former Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero during the summer transfer window.

The Blues were active in the summer transfer window, investing over £300 million in more than 10 new players.

Among their acquisitions were three defenders, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Pep Chavarria, as they sought to strengthen their defence.

During a discussion on The Overlap, Neville revealed his surprise that Xabi Alonso’s side did not target Romero.

The former Tottenham captain, who has since moved to Atletico Madrid, had attracted interest from Chelsea.

“It may seem unusual, but I would actually welcome Cristian Romero in my squad; I would not object to that. I am surprised Chelsea did not secure his signing.

“It is possible that Tottenham were reluctant to sell him to Chelsea, but I was still taken aback that Chelsea did not acquire him,” he said.

Neville further stated that Romero would have been an ideal addition to Xabi Alonso’s back-three formation.

“I believed he would have been an excellent fit for them as that assertive centre-back in a back-three setup. I am surprised they did not bring him in,” he said.

Nevertheless, Chelsea have kicked off the season impressively, winning both of their matches so far and scoring at least three goals in each fixture against Fulham and Brighton.

Cole Palmer appears to have rediscovered his form. His understanding with Joao Pedro and new recruit Morgan Rogers has made Chelsea’s attack one of the most formidable in the Premier League.

They will face their biggest challenge yet when they take on defending champions Arsenal away at the Emirates in gameweek three.