Cristian Romero had been named as the Tottenham captain, a symbol of a new era, of fresh direction and hope. It was last September, the eve of the club’s Champions League return against Villarreal and it was time for him to speak to the English media. A rare appointment but one that could not be sidestepped given his rise in status.
There had to be a few nerves at Spurs because Romero was not exactly the diplomat over the course of the previous season, dropping his truth bombs, the shrapnel flying at the board and ownership, in particular. It would be a bit awkward in parts but Romero got through it. There were no unwanted headlines.
The biggest takeaway was the conciliatory tone. “I did a lot of interviews which seemed like I was talking badly about people inside the club but, in the end, I’m a person who sometimes makes mistakes,” he said.
There had been numerous changes at Spurs – at executive level; in the dugout, with Thomas Frank replacing Ange Postecoglou – and Romero said things were on the right track, that there was clarity, alignment. There was a point at the start of the summer, with Atlético Madrid interested, when it looked as if Romero might leave. He stayed, signing a contract extension to 2029 and accepting the captaincy because he was convinced the situation was about to get better. “In the end, it depends on everyone that we pull in the same direction,” Romero said.
Five months on, it is not a performance that has aged well. When Romero took to social media on Monday night – about an hour after the winter transfer window had closed – it was with a familiar, impossible-to-suppress frustration. A familiar target, too. The higher-ups, those who hold the purse strings and control player recruitment.
How, Romero asked, was the squad allowed to be so threadbare against Manchester City on Sunday, an injury crisis having meant Frank had 13 established outfield players at his disposal? “Disgraceful,” Romero called it.
Put yourself in Romero’s boots. He had felt unwell before the Champions League game at Eintracht Frankfurt last Wednesday when Frank had only 11 established outfield players. Romero played the 90 minutes of the 2-0 win. “He pushed through with a fantastic captain’s performance,” Frank said. Against City, Romero dug deep again but he felt worse and had to come off at half-time. The Argentinian was stung by having to leave his teammates in a hole as they trailed 2-0, although they would recover to draw 2-2. He felt unsupported. So he vented.
On the other hand, remember who Romero is. A hero to the Spurs support owing to his death-or-glory style, his willingness to put everything on the line; the strutting self-assurance, too. Remember, also, where Spurs are: at a low ebb after two wins in 15 in the Premier League, despite the good vibes of the City comeback and the impressive surge to the Champions League last 16; in an extremely sensitive period, with many fans having reached a fixed and unfavourable verdict on Frank.
Romero is as aware of his popularity as he is the relative lack of it for the people who run the club – especially after a transfer window in which they were unable to do much business. It was Conor Gallagher in, together with the 19-year-old left-back prospect Souza; Brennan Johnson out. Romero knows the power of his words, how they will invariably strike a chord with supporters. And he has chosen this specific moment to press the button.
Romero is driven by an internal fire. He wants the best for Spurs, the highest of standards. When they slip, he thinks he ought to be able to call it out. But is this leadership? It feels more like the pouring of petrol on flames, a move to divide – which has not been helped by the number of Spurs players to have liked his Instagram post. They were Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Kevin Danso, Gallagher, Pape Sarr, James Maddison, Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke. A point to make: were they responding more to Romero’s tribute about the “incredible” collective effort against City?
It is hard to argue that Romero has not undermined Frank. Four weeks ago, after Spurs’ 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth, Romero had laid into the board. “At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t – as has been happening for several years now,” the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram. “They only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies.” Romero would later delete the sentence about “lies”.
Frank’s response was to support Romero. He said the club had not fined him, that “young leaders” would sometimes make mistakes. Also, that they had talked about the episode, which would remain private. It was safe to assume that Frank had urged Romero to keep any strong opinions – words such as, say, “disgraceful” – away from social media. Romero continues to be his own boss.
It is difficult to believe he thinks anything has truly changed at Spurs, that he has moved too far from the sentiments he expressed in his first attack on the board in December 2024.
“Manchester City competes every year,” Romero told Telemundo Deportes. “You see how Liverpool strengthens its squad. Chelsea strengthens their squad, doesn’t do well, strengthens again and now they’re seeing results. Those are the things to imitate. You have to realise that something is going wrong. Hopefully they [the board] realise it.”
Spurs’s position during this past window was that throwing money at short-term fixes was out of the question. It would only have harmed the more important goal of long-term progress. It has been a testing time for the board, the acid test of their nerve. Romero has made it more so.
