Ange Postecoglou has now addressed Cristian Romero’s contract situation, his heavy minutes during the international break, and whether he will line up alongside Micky van de Ven for Tottenham on Thursday night.
The international break came at a crucial time for Spurs, who had shown signs of turning a corner with three wins in four throughout February but have since hit a rough patch, managing just one victory in their last four outings.
Seventeen of Tottenham’s players were called up for international duty, giving them a change of scenery before the all-important run-in to the end of the season. For some, it was a chance to recharge. For others, like Cristian Romero, it meant more minutes in the legs.
The Argentine centre-back featured heavily for his national team, playing the full 180 minutes across two World Cup qualifiers, despite only just returning from a lengthy 78-day spell on the sidelines.
Postecoglou reacts to Romero’s heavy international workload
It was initially reported that Argentina’s coaching staff planned to manage Romero’s minutes, with suggestions that he would feature in just one of the two fixtures.
However, that did not turn out to be the case, as the defender played every minute of both games—thankfully returning to Spurs unscathed.
Asked about Romero’s involvement for Argentina, Postecoglou appeared unconcerned, he told football.london: “Delighted if he can get through two games with his international team. It’s great for us as he’s not played a lot of football. Footballers need to play. Rather than him sitting around for two weeks, he needed games.
“I think you could see that with the performances he had before, especially the Fulham game—by the 70th minute, he was pretty much cooked in terms of his physical fitness. Getting through two games at international level, two tough games, is a positive.”
Cristian Romero’s contract uncertainty at Tottenham
Of course, if you’ve been keeping up with our coverage over the past few weeks, you’ll know that Romero’s future at Tottenham remains uncertain.
Reports have suggested that Romero is stalling on signing a new Spurs contract, with Atletico Madrid showing interest in securing his services. The proposed deal would make Romero one of the highest-paid players at Tottenham, yet he has not put pen to paper.
Addressing the situation, Postecoglou was characteristically blunt when speaking to football.london: “He’s got a game tomorrow, mate. That’s what we’re focused on.”
On whether Romero and Van de Ven will start together on Thursday, Postecoglou added: “Yeah, like any key players who have missed games, it’s good to have them back and contribute tomorrow night.”
With the season entering a decisive period, Romero’s performances and commitment will be under the spotlight, and Spurs fans will be hoping that off-field speculation doesn’t affect his displays on it.