Five times Cristian Romero has called out the powers that be at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur have long struggled to bridge the gap between the club’s hierarchy and its supporters, and few players have been more willing to speak openly about that tension than Cristian Romero, whose public interventions have repeatedly struck a chord with fans.
Tottenham Hotspur supporters and the club’s board do not have the best of relationships.
The higher-ups are well aware of this, and in recent months Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham has spoken about how the club are working to improve that relationship.
There have been changes at the board level aimed at improving matters on the pitch, alongside promises of greater ambition.
The January transfer window has only just slammed shut, but once again, Spurs failed to bring in enough players to support a severely depleted squad.
Conor Gallagher, signed for £35 million from Atletico Madrid, and Souza, for £15 million from Santos, represent the efforts of Johan Lange and his team, which many feel was insufficient given the injury crisis affecting Tottenham.
Many Spurs supporters have ranked this winter window among the worst in the club’s recent history, ironically coming after the departure of Daniel Levy.
The fans are not alone in those feelings, with club captain Cristian Romero taking to social media to label the lack of sufficient backing as disgraceful.
Such messages from the Argentine are not out of character, and below is a look at some occasions when he has openly backed supporters and called out the Tottenham board.
Cristian Romero publicly calls out Tottenham hierarchy over lack of spending
Romero made his feelings clear last season, with Ange Postecoglou grappling with an ever-growing injury list and Spurs struggling to maintain momentum.
The centre-back pointed the finger at then-chairman Daniel Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy for the team’s issues, arguing that Spurs had failed to match the level of investment seen among the Premier League’s elite.
When asked whether Tottenham had fallen behind their top-six rivals in terms of squad strength and ambition, Romero said: “The truth is, I would say no comment, but… Manchester City competes every year, you see how Liverpool strengthens its squad, Chelsea strengthens their squad, doesn’t do well, strengthens again, and now they’re seeing results.
“Those are the things to imitate. You have to realise that something is going wrong, hopefully, they realise it. The last few years, it’s always the same: first, the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it’s always the same people responsible.
“Hopefully, they realise who the true responsible ones are, and we move forward because it’s a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year.”
Romero and the Spurs medical team frustration
At some point last season, Romero spent 86 days on the sidelines, missing 27 games in all competitions, a period that saw Spurs exit both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup while their Premier League form collapsed, leaving them languishing in 13th place.
As his absence dragged on, sections of the Tottenham fanbase began to question the Argentine’s commitment, doubts that only intensified when he received an Argentina call-up despite not having played for Tottenham since picking up an injury against Chelsea in December 2024.
Upon his return, Romero addressed the situation on social media, reflecting on one of the most difficult spells of his career and appearing to draw a sharp contrast between Tottenham’s setup and that of the Argentina national team.
“After a difficult period full of things that happened in between, I am back with the group and happy to be able to help the team.
“There is certainly a lot to correct and work on, but we are together and eager to reverse this situation. See you on Thursday, we will come back stronger than ever, all together Spurs.
“Thankful to the physios at Argentina for getting me out of a bad moment and putting me back on the field where I am so happy. Thank you all for your continued support.”
Those comments followed changes at Tottenham, with the club replacing head of medicine and sports science Geoff Scott with Nick Davies, formerly of Wales and West Ham.
Cristian Romero called out Tottenham hierarchy after Europa League success
Romero again appeared to allude to deeper issues at the club following Europa League success, shortly after Ange Postecoglou was dismissed and Thomas Frank was appointed as Tottenham manager.
Posting on X, the defender paid tribute to Postecoglou, highlighting both the trophy won under his leadership and the obstacles he faced during his time in charge.
“Ange, thank you for these two incredible seasons. You’re a fantastic coach, but above all, a great person who deserves the best.
“From day one you paved the way despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist. Beyond everything, we won a trophy and went down in the history of this beautiful club, which is the only thing that matters.
“I wish you the best because you deserve the best, and thank you for everything.”
Cristian Romero accuses Tottenham hierarchy of telling lies
One of Romero’s most explosive interventions came this season after Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat by Bournemouth, a result that left the club 14th in the Premier League and with just two wins from their previous 11 matches.
Shortly after full-time, Romero posted a strongly worded message on Instagram, apologising to supporters while appearing to accuse the club’s hierarchy of dishonesty.
“Apologies to all fans of you who follow us everywhere, who are always there and will continue to be.
“We are responsible, there’s no doubt about that, I am the first. But we will keep facing up to it and trying to turn the situation around, for ourselves and for the club.
“At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t – as has been happening for several years now. They only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies.”
Romero later edited the post to remove the reference to “lies”, adding a follow-up message.
“We’ll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around. Especially at times like this, keeping quiet, working harder and moving forward all together, is part of football. All together, it will be easier.”
What Cristian Romero said about Spurs on transfer deadline day
Romero’s frustration once again resurfaced on transfer deadline day following Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, a match that again underlined the lack of depth available to the squad.
Taking to Instagram, the Spurs captain praised his teammates before venting his anger at the situation he felt they had been left in.
“Great effort from all my teammates yesterday. They were incredible. I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn’t feeling well. Especially as we only had 11 players available. Unbelievable but true and disgraceful.”
He closed the post by once more aligning himself with supporters and stressing unity within the squad.
“We’ll keep showing up and taking responsibility to turn this around, working hard and staying together. All that’s left is to thank all of you for being there and for always supporting us.”
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