Roberto De Zerbi faced with dilemma on stripping ‘liability’ Cristian Romero of Tottenham captaincy
Roberto De Zerbi will have plenty of squad decisions to make at Tottenham Hotspur, and one may be on Cristian Romero.
The Argentine defender signed a new four-year contract with Spurs in August 2025, which is set to expire in 2029.
That would seem to set the World Cup’s future in stone, firmly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but that may not be the case.
De Zerbi will want to have his own look at the squad over the next seven matches and decide who he wants to stick around and who he wants to get rid of.
Tottenham are set for a big overhaul in the summer, and the new manager will be at the forefront of any changes that are made.
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De Zerbi stance on Romero’s Tottenham future mooted
John Wenham believes that Romero could still be set for a Tottenham exit if the Italian boss decides he crosses the line too often.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “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.
“Will he stick with him as captain, or will he pick a new captain?
| Romero’s stats this season | Premier League |
| Matches | 22 |
| Tackles per game | 2.5 |
| Clearances per game | 4.1 |
| Balls recovered per game | 3.9 |
| Ground duels won | 62% |
| Aerial duels won | 72% |
“We don’t know at the moment, so we’ve got all these things to sort of unravel that are quite exciting, because 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.”
Why Romero could still leave Tottenham
A potential Lilywhites exit is not too surprising for the 27-year-old defender as his father revealed that he has a release clause in the new deal.
Victor Romero has decided to speak out to Argentinian outlet Cadena 3 and confirm the existence of the agreement.
He said: “He has two more years on his contract with Tottenham and a very high release clause. The English club isn’t going to let him go for free; it’s between £37.8m-£53m.”
Therefore, De Zerbi has a way to get shut of the defender, if he decides that he does not fit his plans going forward.
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