Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has refused to disclose whether captain Cristian Romero has been fined by the club for his latest social media comments. Moments after the winter transfer window closed on Monday, Romero described the squad’s lack of depth as “disgraceful” in an Instagram post.
Frank: “Everything has been dealt with internally”
In his press conference on Thursday, Frank repeatedly stated: “Everything has been dealt with internally.” When asked directly if Romero had been fined or disciplined, he avoided specifics. He also refuted suggestions that Romero is leading a player revolt.
Frank said: “I don’t know if I understand that question. I see a team that is fighting. The players are fighting. Leadership is many things. Romero is 27 years old. He will still make mistakes going forward as a leader. Does he do a lot of good things? Yes. We’ve dealt with it internally.”
He added: “It’s one person speaking up, we don’t know if he speaks on behalf of all the players. That’s your perception. We don’t know that, and I think that’s fair to say.”
Context of Romero’s Comments
Romero’s post came after Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, where he praised the team’s comeback from 2-0 down despite “only having 11 players available.” Frank contested those numbers, noting substitutes like Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert and Pape Sarr came on, indicating at least 14 senior players were available.
Frank suggested the post might reflect Romero’s passion: “Social media, I can’t get rid of it. One thing I do know: we all definitely put too much attention to social media. Everything we take: that’s the truth. That’s a challenge in general.”
He also addressed likes on the post: “We don’t know what a like means. There are so many words in the post: does that like [act as a reaction to]: ‘well done guys, you did amazingly when I had to go off at half-time’? If that’s the like, then perfect.”
Previous Incident and Frank’s Stance
This is not the first time Romero has commented critically on social media. Last month after a defeat to Bournemouth, he accused the hierarchy of “lies” in a now-edited Instagram post. Frank confirmed then that he had not disciplined his captain.
Frank reiterated: “It’s the beauty of written text is you can read a lot into it. And nobody really knows [what he meant], except Cuti or the guys who have spoken to him. Everything is dealt with internally.”
He praised Romero’s passion: “It shows that Cuti is extremely passionate. He wants to win, do everything he can with his team-mates to achieve great things.”
Frank concluded: “The reality of my job is if you lose games, you’ll be criticised. If you win, you’re a genius. It’s normally somewhere in between.”
Romero has been linked with a move away, but Frank insisted he has not been stripped of the captaincy and remains important to the team.
