Cristian Romero has not played since hurting a knee against Sunderland last month, but the 28-year-old flew to Argentina this week to watch Belgrano’s league playoff final against River Plate. Tottenham’s medical department approved the trip, and Romero spoke with the club’s medical staff before it was decided he would continue rehabilitation with Argentinian doctors.
The timing landed badly because Tottenham face Everton on Sunday needing one point for safety on the final day. A win would keep them up for the first time since 1977, while a draw would almost certainly be enough because their goal difference is 12 better than third-bottom West Ham’s. With Romero away in Argentina, the cristian romero tottenham return debate has become part fitness issue, part judgment call, and part public-relations problem for a club under pressure to finish the season without disaster.
Glenn Hoddle said Romero’s decision “sums his selfishness up,” but Roberto De Zerbi moved quickly to defend the defender. He said Romero had spoken with the medical staff and that the decision to go to Argentina was made so he could complete rehab there, adding that the player could not alter the result at home to Everton by sitting in the stadium or not. De Zerbi also said he was not going to turn on a player who, in his view, had been correct with him throughout his time around the squad.
That split underlines the awkward position Tottenham are in. De Zerbi said Ben Davies had asked to stay with the team, work on Sunday and sleep in the hotel with his teammates, a contrast that made Romero’s absence look even starker to critics. He also said Romero is preparing for the World Cup with the injury, and that nothing changed from his perspective once the medical plan was agreed.
Tottenham’s own selection picture is not entirely bleak. Dominic Solanke is expected to be available after injuring a hamstring in the victory over Wolves in April, while Djed Spence will wear a protective mask after sustaining a broken jaw against Chelsea. Friday also marked a year since Tottenham beat Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao to win their first trophy since 2008, a reminder of how quickly the mood can swing at this club.
Spurs now head into a final-day match that carries real consequences and little room for sentiment. Romero’s rehab may be medically sound, but the club will be judged on Sunday by what happens on the pitch, and by whether the players in the building can do enough to protect a season that still has one nervous afternoon left in it.
