It turns out captain Cristian Romero was in attendance with his Tottenham Hotspur teammates to cheer them on against Everton at home, and Spurs were indeed able to get the job done, upending the Toffees 1-0 to take control of their own destiny and survive the Premier League drop.
Even so, Romero's days with Spurs are numbered. Over the past couple of months, and including in recent days when he nearly missed the season finale to watch a game in Argentina, questions have been raised about Romero's leadership and if he even wants to stay at the club. His personal preferences are up for debate and only he truly knows what is in his own head, but Spurs fans do remember how last year, in the middle of a charge to the Europa League title and with Spurs floundering in the Premier League, Romero openly pined for a transfer to a La Liga giant.
Romero was the Europa League Player of the Tournament as Spurs hoisted the title under Ange Postecoglou, and the interest from Atletico Madrid never materialized with then Chairman Daniel Levy holding off several low ball offers from Diego Simeone and Co. So all was forgiven and forgotten with the captaincy after Son Heung-min's departure to MLS dangled in front of the Argentinian World Cup winner.
Tottenham need a real leader in charge
Now, though, barring an unforeseen change in circumstances, Cristian Romero is fully expected to leave Tottenham Hotspur. The former Serie A star has been a good player for Spurs, but he's never quite been as good as advertised, both due to consistency issues and due to a rethink from Spurs fans after seeing how much better the team has been in recent weeks without him and with former Ligue 1 stud Kevin Danso in his stead.
Tottenham have Luka Vuskovic set to come back from a sensational loan spell from Hamburg. And while they will miss Romero's quality on the ball, Spurs will not miss his leadership, which has been woefully lacking. And after the latest incidents, many Spurs fans are wondering if he is their worst ever captain.
The next captain after Romero's departure should be James Maddison. He has been a consummate professional and clearly bleeds Lilywhite, symbolizing the return of hope to Tottenham upon his own return from an ACL tear.
Madders has not given much beyond 20 or so minutes off the bench because of his injury recovery, but even in those minutes, he has shown a fight and leadership qualities beyond the others, even physically getting involved when opponents are picking at his teammates or posting online to call out the refs for more terrible calls. Maddison cares about Spurs in a way that is above what Romero and the others have shown, and he is a great player and a long time servant of the Premier League who is ready to bear the weight of the armband in this critical period of the club's history.
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