De Zerbi Discusses Romero’s Future at Spurs
Roberto De Zerbi has laid bare the agreement that will shape Cristian Romero’s future at Spurs – and he is adamant he will not stand in the defender’s way if he pushes to leave.
The Italian head coach, who took over in April, explained that his first weeks at the club were dominated by one‑to‑one conversations, a clear-the-air exercise that set the tone for what followed.
“At the beginning of my time, in April, I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings,” De Zerbi said, as quoted by Metro. “And [the players] told me what was their idea. I said: ‘Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave’. If you don’t help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me!”
It was a blunt bargain. Deliver for me now, and I won’t block you later.
Romero, De Zerbi stressed, more than held up his side of that deal. The Argentina international, long regarded as one of the Premier League’s most aggressive and accomplished centre-backs, impressed his new manager not just with performances, but with his attitude behind the scenes.
“But Romero with me was unbelievable. Top, in his behaviour, his respect, he suffered when he did not play the last game,” De Zerbi said.
Rumours had swirled that Romero’s absence late in the campaign was linked to a desire to prioritise preparations with Argentina ahead of the World Cup. De Zerbi dismissed that version of events outright.
“It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It’s not true.”
The relationship between the pair did not end with the final whistle of the season. De Zerbi revealed that he and Romero exchanged messages after Argentina’s semi-final against England, yet he refused to cross a line many managers do: he never picked up the phone to persuade his defender to stay.
“After the semi-final [against England] we text a message, but I never called him to convince him to stay. I respected what he told me. Like for [Guglielmo] Vicario, like for every player.”
That is the crux of it. De Zerbi is building his authority on a promise: if players give everything when the club needs them most, he will not chain them to a project they no longer believe in.
“Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world,” he said. “But at the end I said I want to respect the will of the players.”
For Spurs, that stance carries risk. Letting a defender of Romero’s calibre walk away would rip a hole in the heart of their back line. For De Zerbi, though, the calculation is clear: a squad only truly belongs to a manager if the players choose to be there.
