Tottenham’s Cristian Romero Apologizes for Remarks on Club Investment

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that defender Cristian Romero, who has appeared in 14 matches for the club across all competitions this season, has issued an apology for his recent remarks critical of the team’s ownership. The Argentine centre-back expressed concerns regarding the club’s perceived insufficient investment recently, during an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes on Sunday. This interview followed his team’s 4-3 defeat to Chelsea, a match where they had initially held a 2-0 lead. Romero, who made his move to Spurs permanent in 2022 after an initial season-long loan spell from Atalanta, commented on the spending habits of other clubs in contrast to Tottenham’s, stating, “something is going wrong, hopefully, they [the board] realise it”. Postecoglou stated: “He realises that a lot of what he said was good but some wasn’t the right way of dealing with it. The same way I wouldn’t criticise a player publicly.” He further added: “I’ve spoken to Cristian about it and he’s apologised for it. It wasn’t the right way to do it. It shows he cares. There’s a way to do it and this wasn’t it.” Both Romero and his fellow centre-back Micky van de Ven had rejoined Tottenham’s starting eleven for the Chelsea match following respective injuries. However, the 26-year-old Romero was withdrawn from the game in the 15th minute due to a new injury setback, and the Dutch player Van de Ven was also substituted with 11 minutes remaining. Consequently, both players will be unavailable for Thursday’s Europa League match against Rangers at Ibrox. Postecoglou indicated that the duration of their absence this time is currently unknown. “We’re still getting some clarity around the prognosis,” he further commented. “Both have picked up injuries that will keep them out again. “That’s disappointing for us because obviously we’re pretty thin on numbers. We’ve had to deal with that for quite a while now.” Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who is presently serving a domestic suspension for directing a racial slur towards team-mate Son Heung-min, is expected to play against the Scottish team, as he remains eligible for Europa League fixtures.