Tottenam Hotspur are still not safe from relegation to the EFL Championship when they take on Everton on Sunday in the final match of the 2025/26 Premier League season, and whlie the blame has to be given to several members of Spurs, captain Cristian Romero is no doubt one of the biggest problems in the team.
Romero's leadership has been called into question several times this season, and whlie he is not actually a healthy member of the squad after suffering a season ending injury, Romero will, contrary to what had been previously reported, abandon Spurs in their moment of need in the locker room. Whereas other key injured players have stuck around to support the squad, the captain will be in Argentina to watch a random season finale between River Plate and Belgrano.
Tottenham fans were already not happy witih Romero's rash tackles in big games and perceived lack of effort, and, now, this, to many, seals the fact that Romero doesn't actually care about Tottenham and wants to leave this summer pronto.
Cristian Romero is not a real leader
In the press conference before the match between Tottenham and Everton, manager Roberto De Zerbi did not mince words either, stating that he 100 percent backs the fans for being upset with Cristian Romero while criticizing the captain heavily for his decision.
De Zerbi said, via The Spurs Express, "100%. Not all leaders are the same. Ben Davies spoke with me and he asked to stay today with us and he wants to stay with the team in the Lodge in the hotel with his team-mates, but Romero is preparing for the World Cup."
"Not all leaders are the same," and then a direct comparison to Ben Davies, a pillar of the Spurs locker room who has been injured for months actually going out of his way to be there for the club. Even young Antonin Kinsky, who had been mistreated badly by Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, is skipping the World Cup to be 100 percent for Tottenham. Romero isn't even preparing for the World Cup; he's watching a game that means nothing instead of a game for the club he captains that means everything.
This response was another excellent one from De Zerbi, whose tact was called into question coming into taking the job. But this is exactly what he needed to say about Romero. De Zerbi, while being diplomatic, made it clear that the fans are valid in their assessment of Romero, that what Romero has done is unacceptable, and that Romero is not a great leader. And nothing he said is inaccurate; it's all provable by actions.
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