Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero is one of the best center backs in the Premier League, and although he has been missed over the past few games due to a right MCL injury, the fact is, Spurs have been getting results in his absence and are now just one point in one of their last two games away from safety in the relegation battle.
Nobody disputes Romero's individual quality, and he does care more about Spurs than it may have seemed several weeks ago after he and fellow star center back Micky van de Ven deeply disappointed the Spurs faithful with a string of poor performances.
But there's been something unsettling about Romero this season that has led many Spurs fans to be of the opinion that it is perfectly OK if the Argentinian star wants to finally call it quits and join a "bigger" club in Spain this summer transfer window after flirting with a move in 2025.
Cristian Romero can be constructively critiqued
Perhaps this point was articulated best by former Tottenham Hotspur star center back Toby Alderweireld, who was, quite frankly, twice the player and leader that Romero is. Alderweireld was a star center back alongside fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen for Spurs in the 2010s when they were at their best under Mauricio Pochettino.
In a recent interview with Tom Allnut of The Times, Alderweireld wasn't afraid to criticize Cristian Romero for being a disappointment despite his obvious individual quality. He said, “I think he’s an unbelievable player, in moments. For example, with the red cards, you don’t help your team. When your team needs you, you need to be the captain steering the ship, not putting it in more trouble. He’s a very good player but he should have done better in some situations. For me, centre backs are players you need to count on, to be flawless, not crazy. Win your battles, be secure, that’s the number one. Long balls, passes between the lines, of course that’s a plus, but the basic is to be secure. A captain has to be aware not to — I don’t say he’s causing trouble — but not to be a risk to himself. I call them trustful leaders. You need to be a calm person.”
What Toby Alderweireld is saying about Romero may seem a bit scathing, but nothing he is saying here is inaccurate at all. Every Tottenham Hotspur supporter has felt at some point that Romero has let them down with rash challenges and bad games in big spots at the worst possible time, hurting the team with a rash or overly aggressive mistake.
In a way, he has been like a better Guglielmo Vicario. The flashy stuff is there, but the basics and the security are not, and it can cost Tottenham points. Alderweireld isn't currently attached to the club but is a legend of the club as a center back, so he is in the best position to say the unspoken out loud.
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