Chris Waddle has told Tottenham to sell Romero after uncertainty over whether the 28-year-old will be at Tottenham Hotspur next season. He also called the defender's captaincy "bizarre," sharpening the pressure around a player who has been heavily tipped to leave Spurs this summer.
Waddle's verdict on Romero
Waddle did not soften the point. "They got Jan-Paul van Hecke from Brighton and Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth, so they should be looking to move Cristian Romero on," he said to Andy's Bet Club. "He's never been a Tottenham player for me, he's often negative, prone to injuries and doesn't fit the club."
He went further on the armband. "I think Romero is very negative as a captain," Waddle said. "He’s the club captain, you want him to be a source of support."
January complaints and captaincy
The criticism was tied to events from January, when Romero took to social media to complain about Tottenham's transfer activity. Waddle said that was not the conduct he wants from a captain, adding, "In January, he took to social media to complain about Tottenham’s transfer activity, which isn't what a captain should do, you’ve got to back the club."
That stance cuts against the way Tottenham handled him earlier. Waddle said the club gave Romero a four-year contract and then the captaincy, which is why he described the move as "bizarre." He also pointed to the wider picture around the club, saying Tottenham have been in the bottom five for two years.
Friday kit launch omission
The pressure around Romero grew again on Friday when Tottenham launched their new home and away kits and he was absent from the promotional material. That detail sat alongside the uncertainty Waddle had already highlighted toward the end of the campaign, when Roberto De Zerbi was unable to confirm whether Romero would remain at Tottenham Hotspur next season.
Waddle also said Romero wanted to watch his local team in Argentina during Tottenham's final game of the season against Everton, and noted all the talk around Atletico Madrid and elsewhere. He still acknowledged the defender's level, saying, "He’s a good centre-half, I'm not saying he's not. He's a very good player, he's a World Cup winner. but to me he's never looked as if his heart's been in it."
The practical question now is whether Tottenham act on that view. Waddle's position is clear: if a reasonable offer arrives, he would move Romero on, and the absence from Friday's kit launch only adds weight to the sense that the next decision belongs with Tottenham.
