It came as no surprise that the media capitalised on Cristian Romero's latest outburst, with the Tottenham captain once again linked with a summer departure.
Romero took to social media to air his grievances over the club's current situation after Sunday's spirited 2-2 draw with Manchester City. He labelled the current availability crisis as "disgraceful," posting right after the January transfer window had closed without a late arrival or two.
Romero has previously called out the lack of support from above and seemingly didn't take too kindly to Ange Postecoglou's sacking in the wake of our Europa League success. However, the Argentine committed his future to the club last summer by extending his contract until 2029, having been named captain by Thomas Frank for the 2025/26 campaign.
But another sorry domestic season, combined with unfulfilled promises from the board, has seemingly convinced Romero that enough is enough. It's time to move on. According to Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul, Tottenham's captain is planning on leaving the club this summer.
But hey, at least there's Luka Vušković waiting in the wings, right! Right...?
Croatian legend calls on Vušković to take next step already
There's plenty of buzz around Vušković right now, probably too much buzz. He's been nothing short of sensational on loan at Hamburg this season, with the extraordinary level of his performances leading some supporters to fear that the teenager has already outgrown this club.
Vušković is a superstar in the making, and a centre-back who could slide in to fill the void should either Romero or Micky van de Ven leave this summer. However, influential figures in Croatian football are trying to persuade the young defender to take the next step so soon.
Ivan Rakitić, for example, has implored Vušković, who's set to head to the World Cup this summer, to sign for Bundesliga giants Bayenr Munich.
"All of Europe is talking about him [Vušković] right now," the former Barcelona midfielder said (via Bayern & Germany on X). "Bayern needs to do everything [to sign him]. I believe the boy has to go to Bayern. He has everything it takes to become one of the best centre-backs.
"I'm curious to see if Tottenham will manage to keep him beyond the summer, because in my opinion, he's already ready for the next step to one of the absolute top clubs. And for me, there are only four or five of those clubs in Europe," he added.
The harsh reality is: Rakitić isn't wrong. The conflicting reports over Spurs' plan for the teenager next season don't exactly convince me that we'll ever see Vušković in a Tottenham shirt again. However, the hierarchy must dig their heels in should the disgruntled Romero want out.
Otherwise, an incompetent board is going to have far too much money to spend trying to reinvent this defence.