Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has confirmed he held a direct conversation with club captain Cristian Romero on Wednesday morning, following the defender's explosive social media post in the wake of a dramatic late defeat.
Romero's Social Media Outburst
The incident stems from Spurs' 3-2 Premier League loss at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday night, where a stoppage-time winner from Antoine Semenyo sealed a painful result for the North London side.
Following the match, Romero, who has 5.1 million followers on Instagram, posted a message that appeared to criticise the club's hierarchy. In a since-edited version, the Argentine international wrote: "Apologies to all fans of you who follow us everywhere, who are always there and will continue to be. We are responsible, there’s no doubt about that. I am the first."
He added: "But we will keep facing up to it and trying to turn the situation around, for ourselves and for the club. At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don't - as has been happening for several years now. They only show up when things are going well."
The original, unedited post contained a stronger accusation, stating that those figures only appear "to tell a few lies." This pointed remark sparked immediate controversy and led to the early-morning meeting between player, manager, and Technical Director Johan Lange.
Frank's Response and Defence of His Captain
Addressing the media ahead of Tottenham's FA Cup third-round clash with Aston Villa, Frank provided his response to the situation. While emphasising that the details of their talk would remain private, the Danish coach offered support for his skipper while acknowledging a misstep.
"I think after Cuti became the captain he's done a lot of good things right," Frank stated. "I said it when I named him the captain that even though he's an experienced player, he's tried a lot, he's still a young leader. And I think a lot of the things he's done well on and off the pitch I'm happy with."
Frank was keen to highlight Romero's positive influence during the match itself, saying: "I'm actually very happy with his performance last night, I think he was a true captain in many ways throughout the game. Speaking at half-time when we were 2-1 down, keep believing, keep doing the right things."
However, he conceded that the public nature of the criticism was an error, adding: "But also when you're a young leader sometimes you make a mistake, of course it's good to keep it internally. Johan and I had a good conversation with him this morning about everything, which we of course keep internally."
Pressure Mounts at Tottenham Hotspur
The episode underscores the growing pressure and frustration at Tottenham following a inconsistent run of form. Romero's decision to publicly call out unnamed figures at the club suggests tensions behind the scenes are bubbling over.
His call for unity in the edited post—"We'll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around"—now follows a significant moment of internal reckoning. How the squad responds in their crucial FA Cup fixture against Aston Villa will be closely watched, with all eyes on the reaction of their vice-captain.
The swift intervention from Frank and Lange indicates the club's desire to manage the situation promptly and prevent any lasting damage to morale. With the January transfer window open, maintaining a cohesive and focused squad is paramount for Spurs' ambitions this season.
