Arizona Tribune - Atletico target Romero says his focus on Spurs' survival bid

Romero returned from concussion protocols to help Spurs secure a morale-boosting 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, although it was not enough to save the London club from Champions League elimination as they lost on aggregate in the last-16 phase.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone praised long-term transfer target Romero on Tuesday, but the Spurs skipper tried to brush the issue aside during a mixed zone interview with Spanish media.

"The truth is that I'm focused on the situation we're in," Romero said after the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"I have a lot of respect and affection for the club and I want to finish the season in the best way possible. We'll see later but the most important thing now is to recover energy to help Spurs."

Spurs produced one of their best performances of a woeful season against Atletico to end an eight-match winless run and earn under-fire caretaker boss Igor Tudor a maiden victory in charge.

Tudor appeared on the brink after a 5-2 loss in Madrid, but a committed display in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool and their European win has boosted morale before Sunday's key visit of relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, with Spurs just a point above the bottom three.

A.Taylor--AT