The image of Cristian Romero departing the Stadium of Light in tears may well be the one that endures from Tottenham Hotspur's wretched 2025/26 season.
The club, out of sheer desperation, have handed the keys to Roberto De Zerbi amid a frightening relegation scrap. West Ham's 4-0 victory over Wolves on Friday meant Spurs sunk into the bottom three for the first time since the opening weekend of the 2015/16 campaign, and our 1-0 defeat to Sunderland means we'll spend the next week at least in the bottom three.
De Zerbi has just six games to wave his magic wand, and there weren't too many encouraging signs on Wearside. Similar issues compromised the Lilywhites again, with the manager's team selection also contributing to a stodgy performance that got worse as it progressed.
We certainly weren't aided by Nordi Mukiele's horrbily deflected strike on the hour mark and the subsequent collision between captain and goalkeeper that forced an emotional Romero off. The early indications suggested the Argentine defender's season could be over, and our worst fears have since been realised.
Romero's knee injury rules him out of relegation scrap
Reports initially broke from Argentinian journalists that Romero had sustained a significant enough knee injury to keep him sidelined for the next six weeks.
On Monday afternoon, the BBC's Sami Mokbel was among those to confirm the news, and he said Romero's World Cup may be in doubt due to a partial tear of his MCL.
That's perhaps why Romero was so emotional as he left the field on Sunday. While plenty have criticised the captain this season for his lapses in concentration and penchant for a booking or more, he's a proud defender who's insisted in recent weeks that he'll do everything he can to ensure Spurs remain in the top flight.
Romero certainly wasn't helped for a shambolic refereeing performance from Rob Jones at the Stadium of Light, who harshly booked Romero in the first half and was considerably less willing to punish Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey for similar offences.
Tottenham captain Cristian Romero to miss remainder of the season with a partial tear of his medial cruciate ligament. Expected recovery time around eight weeks leaving his World Cup hopes in the balance. @BBCSport pic.twitter.com/3a16Ze3dZY
— Sami Mokbel (@SamiMokbel_BBC) April 13, 2026
Brobbey was responsible for causing the collision that led to Romero's injury, with the Dutchman pushing the defender into his onrushing goalkeeper. The incident forced AntonÃn Kinsky to wear a headband for the remainder of the contest, and may well have consigned Tottenham to the drop.
Romero hasn't been an exemplary leader nor has he had a great season, but he's a defender I'd love to have around for the do-or-die fixtures that await. We admittedly don't have a woeful alternative in Kevin Danso, but it seems as if the world is conspiring against us right now.
In the space of a week, De Zerbi has learned of Mohammed Kudus' latest setback and lost his captain for the rest of the season.
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