Tottenham’s Romero Criticizes Board Over Investment Shortfall

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, who has played in 12 Premier League matches for Spurs this season, has voiced criticism of the club’s board regarding insufficient investment after the team’s disappointing 4-3 home defeat against Chelsea. On Sunday, Spurs squandered a 2-0 advantage, and Ange Postecoglou’s team has now achieved only one victory in their last seven fixtures across all competitions. In an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes after the loss, Argentina international Romero stated that inadequate spending is causing the club to lag behind its competitors. “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,” Romero stated. He added: “You have to realise that something is going wrong, hopefully, they [the board] realise it.” The outcome against London rivals Chelsea positioned Tottenham in the lower half of the Premier League table, with the team occupying 11th place after 15 games. Comparable periods of poor performance have led Spurs to dismiss managers in recent years, yet Romero contends that the board, rather than Postecoglou, should bear responsibility. The Australian coach represents the fifth manager, including caretakers, that the 26-year-old has served under since his arrival in 2021. “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,” Romero stated in an interview translated from Spanish. He continued: “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.” Conducted in Spanish, Romero provided a live interview on Spanish TV to a reporter from Telemundo Deportes, during which the defender addressed a query regarding Tottenham’s squad depth. The interview was broadcast live on television and subsequently made available online as both a text article and a video clip. However, a link to the complete Romero interview, originally posted on Telemundo Deportes’ website, currently redirects users to a page stating:, external “We’re sorry. The page you are looking for is no longer available.” A segment of the interview, in which Romero commended Postecoglou, was extensively cited following the match, including by BBC Sport. Nevertheless, the more critical remarks surfaced gradually, with British media outlets beginning to report the translated version on Monday night. Spurs disclosed losses totaling £86.8m in April, pertaining to their financial performance during the 2022-23 season, which represents the most current publicly available financial data. Total revenue saw an increase of 24% from 2022, reaching a record-high £549.6m, with matchday income achieving a record £117.6m. However, they recorded a loss for the fourth consecutive year, following the 2022 deficit of £50.1m. Daniel Levy, who has served as chairman since 2001, stated the club was seeking “prospective investors”. He added: “To continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the club requires a significant increase in its equity base.” Spurs transferred England captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for 100m euros (£86.4m) in August; however, that deal occurred outside the relevant financial period and is set to be accounted for in the 2023-24 accounts. Journalist Rory Smith came to Levy’s defense on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, commending the “sustainable” manner in which he operates the club. In the 2022-23 season, Tottenham allocated £148.4m to transfers, as per Transfermarkt,, external while in 2023-24, Postecoglou’s inaugural season at the helm, they spent £224.5m. This summer, Tottenham invested £122.8m in players such as Sweden midfielder Lucas Bergvall (£8.5m), English midfielder Archie Gray (£30m), and England striker Dominic Solanke (£65m). “The way Spurs is run is sustainable and ultimately that’s good, that’s what clubs should be doing,” Smith commented. He added: “Spurs’ business in the summer was very future focused – Bergvall is 19 years old, Gray is 19 – those are smart signings. “Solanke is probably overpriced because he’s English and 27 but he is a proven Premier League goalscorer and that’s what Spurs needed after losing Kane.” Tottenham have allocated £949m to transfers since the 2016-17 season, resulting in a net expenditure of £518m, according to FootballTransfer.com data. By contrast, Premier League leaders Liverpool’s overall expenditure during the same period stands at £858m, with a net spend of £308m. Former Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend commented that Levy’s contributions at Tottenham “goes under the radar”. “If you look at what Daniel Levy has done and take it out of this era and put it, 20, 30, 40 years ago, he’d be the best chairman in the world – there would be a statue outside the stadium of him,” Townsend remarked. He continued: “But because he’s competing with Saudi owners, Qatari owners, American owners – all billionaires where they can just spend, spend, spend – his achievements go under the radar.” Pundit Jamie Carragher expressed to Sky Sports, external his belief that Levy should be replaced. Since Levy assumed control, Spurs have secured only one trophy, the Carabao Cup in 2008. In September 2023, Levy indicated he would be “open” to divesting his stake if it served the best interest of the club. His family holds a 29.88% investment in Spurs’ majority shareholder ENIC, which holds 86.58% of the club. Levy supervised the inauguration of the club’s £1bn stadium in 2019. “It’s probably time for somebody else to come in because to not win a trophy in that period of time with the managers they have had, they’ve never really gone out of their way in the transfer market,” Carragher stated. He concluded: “Now that work’s done in terms of a stadium and a training ground, someone else needs to be in charge of this football club.” Season ticket prices for the current season experienced an increase of 6%, with the most affordable adult season ticket priced at £856, an increase from £807.