Bye-bye Romero: Poch could unleash the “future Tottenham captain” at Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur have a number of top players in their first-team mix, but the supporting cast haven’t been good enough for some time now.

The spotlight has beamed down on Igor Tudor after Thomas Frank‘s unsurprising dismissal last week, and while the Croatian coach will be expected to vapourise the talk of relegation that have been raised after a run of just two wins in 17 Premier League games.

A front-footed and aggressive coach who will impose his authority on the Spurs players, he could be exactly what they need, and it might prove a playing style that could resurrect the club captain Cristian Romero after his recent struggles.

What’s going on with Cristian Romero

Romero, 27, is a top-class centre-back, though he’s also erratic and currently serving a suspension after a studs-up challenge on Casemiro at Old Trafford.

It’s been a testing campaign for the tough-tackling defender, whose elite quality is without question but whose decision-making and level-headedness is absolutely up for debate.

After the winter transfer window had shut, Romero lambasted the board and criticised their failure to arm Frank with enough first-team depth.

With all this in mind, it feels like the Argentina international’s days in north London may be numbered, even with Maurico Pochettino potentially making a sensational return. Indeed, interest is mounting from elite outfits in Spain, and Romero is bound to push his agent toward striking a deal after these recent developments.

Oh, yes. While Tudor’s in the frame for the next few months, it’s important to remember that he’s here on an interim basis and that sporting director Johan Lange is searching for a permanent hire. Poch is a top target, and the fact he’s with USMNT until after the World Cup suggests storylines could collide before 2026/27.

Even so, Romero’s attitude leaves something to be desired, and the argument that he’s undeserving of the armband is not without substance.

Poch could unearth Spurs future captain

Ange Postecoglou lifted the lid on some of his frustrations regarding the Tottenham hierarchy when he appeared as a guest on The Overlap podcast last week.

It’s true, Spurs’ recruitment strategy has fallen flat in recent memory, but the club are building for the future and they have some of the Premier League’s most exciting talents.

One of whom is Archie Gray, who is still only 19 but already boasts 71 senior appearances for Tottenham after joining from Leeds United for nearly £30m – 18 at the time – and has a Europa League title to boot.

Gray is already becoming something of a mainstay for the Lilywhites, playing a central role and embracing the chaos that has demanded him to play a wide range of roles.

From centre-back to full-back to centre-midfielder, the England youth international is weathering an early-career storm, but there’s no question that he’s tipped for a big future, and analyst Ben Mattinson has even gone as far as to claim he is a “future £100m” footballer.

Tottenham’s youthful squad has seen them come unstuck at times this term, and while it’s proving an issue in the short term, it’s important to remember that the Londoners are more than well-stocked for the future.

Even if Romero leaves for pastures new this summer, a prospect like Gray might just end up becoming the club’s long-standing skipper, with Harry Redknapp even recently urging the club to “strip Romero of the captaincy” and give it to the teenager, calling him a “future Tottenham captain” who is setting an example to his so-called senior peers.

Gray is probably too young and inexperienced to don the armband next season, even if Romero is sold this summer. However, Pochettino’s guidance could be exactly what he needs to go from strength to strength and cement himself as the club’s leader in the future.

An affable character with a tenacity to match his talent on the field, Gray might just be the future skipper for a Spurs side who need to steadily work themselves toward a big comeback.

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