Tottenham told to follow Arsenal example and give Cristian Romero the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang treatment

Tottenham have been urged to ‘change the culture’ at the club by axing captain Cristian Romero.

The defender has three years remaining on his deal but has come under fire for his ill discipline once again.

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Romero was shown his sixth red card since joining Spurs against Manchester United on Saturday.

It was also his second in the Premier League this season after two yellow cards in their loss to Liverpool in December.

As a result, the Argentine will now face a four-match ban, missing the fixtures against Newcastle, Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Martin Keown admits Spurs should now consider emulating Arsenal’s handling of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s exit.

The former Gunners captain was stripped of the armband for ‘disciplinary reasons’ by Mikel Arteta in December 2021.

Aubameyang was then allowed to leave for Barcelona on a free transfer just a month later.

Spurs told to axe Romero

Discussing Romero’s future on White & Jordan, former Arsenal star Keown explained: “We sat here and argued about Aubameyang a few years ago and I was trying to defend him because I thought, ‘ok, let’s keep the player at the football club’.

“Maybe you’re cutting your nose off to spite your face and there may be a feeling about this with Romero right now.

“But actually if you want to change the culture of that football club, and there’s a serious problem with the culture at that football club, maybe this is the one to say, ‘do you know what? He doesn’t play for our football club again. We’re making a change.’

“I know he’s a big commodity and it’s a gamble but it’s a change of direction and a change of culture because I would say, if you see this on the outside, on the inside it’s even worse.

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“On the inside, his behaviour around the players is not good for the next generation and therefore big decisions have to be made around this player. He’s at a crossroads in his career.”

The former Arsenal defender added: “I think this guy is a top player but there’s something there that sparks and he’s off the pitch.

“It can’t continue. He has to make that decision otherwise he walks at the end of the season.”

Romero was named Spurs captain by Thomas Frank in the summer along with signing a new deal through to 2029.

However, he has since struggled to keep his head on the pitch after a second red card of the campaign.

The World Cup winner was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Casemiro at Old Trafford on Saturday.

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His sending off came with the match goalless, with United taking the lead just nine minutes later before going on to win 2-0.

Spurs now find themselves just six points above the relegation zone in 15th place after their 10th defeat of the season.