Tottenham Hotspur face the prospect of ending their season without a trophy for yet another campaign, but Sunday’s relegation decider against Everton carries a weight that manager Roberto De Zerbi insists transcends the absence of silverware. With the club perched precariously in 17th place on 38 points, just two clear of the drop zone, the final whistle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will determine whether the club retains its Premier League status — a prize De Zerbi has framed in terms of history, pride and dignity rather than material reward.
De Zerbi’s uncertainty over Romero’s future
When asked directly whether club captain Cristian Romero had played his final game for the club, De Zerbi replied: “I don’t know.” The manager’s equivocation came against the backdrop of Romero’s conspicuous absence from the squad for the most important fixture of the season. The Argentine defender, appointed captain by former manager Thomas Frank in August 2025 and tied to the club until 2029 under a long-term contract, is currently in Argentina rather than preparing alongside his teammates.
De Zerbi acknowledged that Romero is recovering from a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury suffered in last month’s match against Sunderland — an injury that ended his season. The centre-back is rehabilitating with the Argentinian national team’s medical staff, a decision De Zerbi has framed as medically driven. “He is in Argentina for medical reasons,” the manager said, while conceding he understood the anger among supporters. De Zerbi has maintained that Romero has been “correct” since he took charge and has always shown a desire to stay at Tottenham, adding that in normal circumstances he would not tolerate a player putting himself before the club, but that the injury situation warranted some leeway.
Player motivation under scrutiny
Romero’s decision to travel to Argentina — posting a photo on social media of himself boarding a private plane with his family — has inflamed an already tense atmosphere. The reason for his journey is personal: he intends to support his former club Belgrano in the AFA Liga Torneo Apertura final against River Plate on Saturday 24 May. Belgrano’s president confirmed that Romero would watch the final with the club’s official delegation and has been permitted to use their training facilities for his rehabilitation.
Many Tottenham supporters have reacted with fury, describing the move as “disgraceful” and interpreting it as a signal that Romero’s time at the club is ending. The timing could hardly be more damaging. Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Tuesday 19 May kept the relegation battle alive until the final day, after a run of eight points from the preceding five games had offered a glimmer of survival. A single point against Everton would likely be enough to stay up, but a loss combined with a West Ham win would send Tottenham down.
The financial stakes are immense. Tottenham have posted cumulative operating losses of £232 million over the three financial years ending June 2024, with a recorded loss of £26.2 million in the most recent period and net debt standing at £772.5 million. Relegation would compound those pressures, yet the club’s captain — a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022 and a key figure in their 2021 Copa América and 2024 Copa América triumphs — is absent, recovering in his homeland.
Playing for club pride and history
De Zerbi’s most pointed remarks, however, were reserved not for the specifics of Romero’s situation but for the broader meaning of the match itself. “After tomorrow there is no trophy, no bonus,” he said. “There is more than that. There is the history of the club, the pride of the players and their families, the dignity of everyone.” In a season defined by inconsistency — the club slipped as low as 11th in the table after a promising 2023-24 campaign under Ange Postecoglou that yielded a fifth-place finish and Europa League qualification — De Zerbi is attempting to reframe the narrative around something deeper than league standing.
For the squad that will take the field against Everton, the manager is asking them to play for the institution itself. The players on the pitch on Sunday will be representing a club that has faced significant financial headwinds — transfer debt ranking second in the Premier League, yet with broadcast and commercial revenues still rising — and a fanbase that has watched its captain choose to watch a match in Argentina rather than be present at the club’s most consequential fixture in years. De Zerbi, whose managerial career spans 468 games with 202 wins and a preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, previously managed Brighton & Hove Albion and has apologised for past comments about Mason Greenwood, has publicly backed his absent captain’s medical reasons while also acknowledging the emotional weight of the occasion.
Romero’s own history with the club includes a frustrated Instagram post in which he criticised the board’s silence during difficult periods, describing the situation as “disgraceful but true.” Despite signing a new contract, his contract reportedly contains a €60 million release clause that could allow him to join Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atlético Madrid — a move that has been linked to his desire to help Lionel Messi and other senior Argentina players maintain fitness for the 2026 World Cup through a less physically demanding league.
For now, though, De Zerbi’s message is clear: the final game of the season is not about individual futures or personal agendas. It is about what it means to wear the shirt. “There is the history of the club, the pride of the players and their families, the dignity of everyone.”
