Jamie O’Hara has reflected on Cristian Romero’s decision to miss Tottenham’s relegation decider against Everton and has revealed how the centre-back’s teammates will be feeling.
There has always been a perception among a section of Spurs fans that Romero does not care much about Tottenham, and that his national team takes precedence, which has arguably been unfair.
However, even the 28-year-old’s biggest defenders cannot explain away his most recent decision. Romero has flown back to Argentina to watch his boyhood club Belgrano in their domestic league final against River Plate on Sunday.
That means that the centre-back will not be with his Spurs teammates as they embark on one of the biggest games in Tottenham’s recent history.
Jamie O’Hara not buying Cristian Romero’s injury excuse as he skips Tottenham’s relegation decider
Roberto De Zerbi has said he cannot question Romero’s commitment to Spurs, insisting that the decision was made along with the medical staff that the defender would continue his treatment in Argentina.
However, O’Hara labelled Romero’s latest actions as ‘outrageous’, claiming that it was a sackable offence for him to fly to his home country, and blasting Tottenham for allowing him to make the trip.
He told talkSPORT: “The club captain is not there on the final day of the season. If that doesn’t sum up Spurs right there… that is an absolute joke. Now, there might be an argument to say ‘he’s injured, he’s gone to Argentina to get treatment because of the World Cup’. I don’t care.
“The club captain has to be there on the final game of the season. Why is the club captain not there at the final game of the season? He’s going to watch River Plate. That is outrageous. That is a sackable offence.
“Whoever has allowed that to happen, whether that has come from the top, Roberto De Zerbi, they should be ashamed of themselves. It sums up Tottenham in every aspect that this is allowed to happen.”
O’Hara says Spurs teammates will feel let down by Romero
Romero is expected to leave Spurs this summer, but O’Hara insists that his transfer desire should not have stopped the Tottenham captain from being at N17 on Sunday.
The pundit suggested that the Spurs players would have wanted Romero to be in the dressing room for the big game.
The former Tottenham midfielder added: “If you do not want to be there, fine. He doesn’t want to be at the club. He wants out, right? I get it, but his teammates will want Romero around in the dressing room.
“His teammates, the people he is playing alongside, who he has been in the trenches with, and he’s decided to go and watch River Plate on the last day of the season. It’s disgusting.”