Tottenham told to strip Cristian Romero of captaincy and give it to youngster

Cristian Romero has been labelled a ‘disgrace’ for his behaviour as Tottenham captain this season.

The defender was given the armband by former manager Thomas Frank in the summer.

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It came after Romero penned a new four-year deal with Spurs through to the summer of 2029.

However, his disciplinary record has hampered his season as the north London side once again find themselves at the wrong end of the table.

Romero has already missed six Premier League matches through suspension this season.

Alongside eight yellow cards, the Argentinian has been sent off twice, including in last month’s defeat to Manchester United.

His dismissal at Old Trafford saw Romero receive a four-match ban.

The 27-year-old was absent from the squad for Sunday’s draw with Liverpool despite serving his suspension.

Spurs earned their first point under Igor Tudor at Anfield thanks to Richarlison’s late equaliser.

talkSPORT verdict

Abbi Summers believes it was no coincidence that the side showed more ‘fight’ and ‘determination’ in Romero’s absence.

Discussing the result on the latest episode of talkSPORT’s Inside Spurs, she said: “There was a lot of fight, there was determination and it didn’t pass me by that there was no Romero and there was no Micky van de Ven in that.

“Now I know that Romero will split opinion, Van de Ven will split opinion about whether or not, if we do stay in the Premier League, if we don’t, what to do with them. Whatever.

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“I think that Romero shouldn’t have the captaincy back, in my opinion. That’s just me. I have no interest when it comes to Romero.

“I think the fact you’ve missed seven games just through sheer stupidity…

“I think that what we’ve heard and things we know through media or other sources, his behaviour as the captain of this football club I think is a disgrace.”

Romero has publicly criticised the club on more than one occasion this season.

The World Cup winner appeared to hit out at the Spurs hierarchy in a since deleted social media post back in January.

Meanwhile, he slammed the lack of squad depth at the club in a separate outburst last month.

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Spurs’ next captain?

As a result, Summers is keen for Romero to be stripped of the captaincy just seven months after receiving the armband.

She even named a surprise candidate to pick up the mantle, adding: “I think the only person that actually warrants the armband is someone like Archie Gray because Archie has been incredible, both seasons, back-to-back.”

Gray joined Spurs from Leeds United in July 2024 aged just 18 after breaking into the first-team at Elland Road.

Having won the Europa League last season, the 20-year-old has already made 76 appearances since moving to Spurs.

Those include 30 outings across all competitions this term under Frank and Tudor.

Meanwhile, Gray has featured at right-back, centre-back, left-back and as a wide midfielder alongside his natural central midfield role.