Cristian Romero will not attend Tottenham's final-day Premier League match against Everton, having instead travelled to Argentina to support his former club Belgrano. The Spurs captain is ruled out with a knee injury sustained in last month's 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.
Tottenham need a victory at home to secure 17th place and send West Ham down, with the Hammers two points worse off and hosting Leeds on Sunday. Spurs have taken eight points from their five matches since Romero's injury, leaving their fate in their own hands.
The defender's decision to watch Belgrano's Argentine title clash with River Plate rather than cheer on his team-mates has drawn sharp criticism from supporters, with some describing it as "disgraceful" and others suggesting it signals the end of his time at the club. Romero has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid despite having three years left on a contract extension signed last year.
Manager Roberto De Zerbi recently spoke of Romero's commitment, saying: "Romero loves Tottenham, people have to know he's suffering for this injury, suffering because he can't play for us again this season. He's a great captain for us." De Zerbi added that Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso are capable replacements.
Danso partnered Micky van de Ven in central defence against Chelsea, but the pair could not prevent a 2-1 defeat that set up the final-day decider. Everton sit 12th and Leeds 14th, with both sides having little at stake. Belgrano posted a video on social media showing Romero at their training ground on Friday.
