Roberto De Zerbi's Stance on Cristian Romero's Future
Roberto De Zerbi has drawn a clear line in the sand over Cristian Romero’s future – and he insists he will not cross it.
The Spurs head coach confirmed he will honour the defender’s wish to pursue a new challenge, revealing a blunt pact he struck with the squad when he walked through the door in April.
A pact from day one
“At the beginning of my time, in April, I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings,” De Zerbi said, outlining the agreement that has quietly shaped this summer’s decisions. Players told him what they wanted from their careers. He told them what he needed to keep the club afloat.
The deal was simple. Help keep the team up, and he would not stand in the way of a move. Fail, and they would “stay underwater” with him.
Romero, De Zerbi stressed, more than held up his end.
Romero’s commitment defended
The Italian was emphatic about the World Cup winner’s professionalism. With speculation swirling around Romero’s mindset and priorities, De Zerbi pushed back.
“Romero with me was unbelievable. Top, in his behaviour, his respect, he suffered when he did not play the last game,” he said. Any suggestion the centre-back angled for an early exit to prepare for Argentina’s World Cup tilt was dismissed out of hand. “It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It’s not true.”
This was not a manager trying to cling to a star. It was a manager defending a player’s name while standing by his own word.
No late U-turn, no pressure
The story could easily have become familiar: a coach launching a charm offensive to keep a cornerstone of his defence. De Zerbi made it clear that never happened.
“After the semi-final [against England] we text a message, but I never called him to convince him to stay,” he explained. The respect ran both ways, but the promise came first. “I respected what he told me. Like for [Guglielmo] Vicario, like for every player.”
Romero’s quality is not in doubt in De Zerbi’s mind. “Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world,” he said, before returning to the principle that will shape Spurs’ rebuild: “At the end I said I want to respect the will of the players.”
Spurs now face the hard part: replacing one of the world’s elite defenders, while living up to a manager’s word that could define his relationship with the dressing room for years to come.
