Tottenham have Cristian Romero replacement already as defender jets to Asia
Thomas Frank is planning for a future without Cristian Romero at Tottenham.
Romero has less than two years left on his contract and has been consistently linked with a move away from Spurs this summer.
The North Londoners are desperate to keep the Argentine, but are wary of the various interviews in which he has criticised the club’s hierarchy and announced that he wishes to play in La Liga.
Frank reiterated Romero’s importance and influence on the team, but remained coy on his long-term future when asked about the issue in his first press conference (18 July).
The former Brondby manager has now found a potential replacement, as Tottenham have travelled to Asia for their pre-season tour.
Jun’ai Byfield included in pre-season tour to Asia
Frank included a handful of Tottenham’s academy players in his travelling squad, although there was one notable absence in Mikey Moore, who is set to join Rangers on a season-long loan.
Among those who did make the journey was the highly rated 16-year-old defender Jun’ai Byfield.
The centre-back played a significant role in Tottenham’s Under-18s campaign last season, including standing in as captain on a couple of occasions.
| Competition | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Minutes Played |
| Premier League U18 | 22 | 21 | 4 | 1,891′ |
| FA Youth Cup | 3 | 3 | 1 | 268′ |
Byfield was added to Tottenham’s U18s earlier this month on a full-time basis after recently signing a two-year scholarship with the Lilywhites.
The teenager was rewarded for his progress with a spot on the plane to Hong Kong, showing Frank has high hopes for the talented central defender.
The Dane is well-regarded for his talent identification and ability to develop players, and could be looking to Byfield as Romero’s natural heir in the Spurs team going forward.
Tottenham academy graduates faring well in pre-season
Spurs fans have generally been left disappointed with pre-season so far, with one win and two laborious draws against League One opposition hardly capturing the imagination.
There have been some positive performances from senior players, such as Mohammed Kudus, but it is the youth players who have generally caught the eye.
George Abbott signed a new contract last week after his impressive performances as a defensive midfielder, while Will Lankshear scored the first goal under Frank
Tynan Thomas’s performance against Wycombe Wanderers earned a lot of plaudits too, leaving the 51-year-old manager with plenty to think about as he looks to finalise his first-team squad for next season.
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