Roberto De Zerbi has barely had a week on the training pitch and he already faces one of the most intriguing personnel dilemmas of his Tottenham tenure: what to do with Cristian Romero.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, analyst John Wenham laid out the decision bluntly.
De Zerbi will either love what Romero brings to his backline or conclude that the Argentine crosses the line too often to be workable. There is very little middle ground with a player of his temperament.
“It’ll be up to De Zerbi to make a decision on who he can work with moving forward. For example, he might love Romero, he might think, ‘he’s a complete psycho, like I am, yeah, I want to get him on board’, and he might love him. Or he might come in and say, ‘look, he’s too mad, he’s too much of a liability’, it will be interesting.”
And then the question that sharpens it further: “Will he stick with him as captain, or will he pick a new captain?”
The case for and against Romero under De Zerbi
On pure numbers, Romero is difficult to dismiss. In 22 Premier League appearances this season he has averaged 2.5 tackles, 4.1 clearances and 3.9 balls recovered per game, winning 62% of his ground duels and 72% in the air. He is a high-intensity, physically dominant defender who rarely goes missing in the battles that matter. He was also central to Tottenham’s Europa League triumph last season under Ange Postecoglou, which is part of why the club secured his future with a new four-year deal last August.
But the “liability” label is not entirely without foundation. Romero has a history of reckless challenges, high card counts and moments where his aggression tips from asset to problem. For a manager as demanding and detail-oriented as De Zerbi, a defender who can undermine a defensive shape with one moment of madness is a genuine consideration.
Whether RDZ views that as a personality he can harness or one he cannot manage is the crux of it.
Could Romero still leave Tottenham despite his new deal?
Romero’s father Victor has confirmed to Argentine outlet Cadena 3 that a release clause exists in the new contract, with the figure sitting in the range of £37.8m to £53m. Atletico Madrid have already been linked with a move, and De Zerbi would have a clear mechanism to sanction a sale if he decided Romero does not fit his plans.
Wenham acknowledged that all of this, despite the uncertainty, is actually one of the more compelling storylines around Spurs right now. “We’re in a position of real disappointment this season, but this could all change quickly, if we can make some good and clever decisions.”
The Romero question is one of the first those decisions will revolve around.
