There are more and more issues piling up for Thomas Frank at Tottenham, with Cristian Romero the main culprit once again this weekend.
It’s been an awful start to the year for Spurs, with the Lilywhites still searching for their first league win of 2026 after defeat to Man United on Saturday afternoon.
Thomas Frank saw his side lose 2-0 at Old Trafford and it’s hard not to imagine what could have been if Cristian Romero hadn’t got himself sent off after just 30 minutes.
Romero will now miss the next four games, meaning Frank will have to appoint a new captain in the interim. But, will there be a long-term change in that department?
What Thomas Frank said about Tottenham captain situation
Frank has already discussed how Romero feels after the red card, but what about the Spurs boss? After the game, Frank was asked whether there are any regrets about picking Romero as his captain.
He said: “No, there’s not. And also, he was sorry for the incident, he apologised to his team-mates in the changing room. No, I think he’s one of the most important players, and I think when he performs top, he’s driving the team.”
Frank was pushed for more insight, with a suggestion that he should pick someone calmer to take the armband.
Clearly getting annoyed, Frank replied: “I think it’s fair to say I don’t think he had any intention to get a red card after 28 minutes.”
Pressed one more time on the matter, Frank simply replied “No” to the idea of changing captain.
Who could take over from Cristian Romero?
The obvious choices to take over for the next four games are Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven. Given they are part of the leadership group and are among the few fit players still available to Frank, it can only really be one of those two right now.
If everyone were fit, you’d imagine James Maddison would have the armband. He’d do a great job, too. Maddison is a far calmer player and he always speaks so confidently whenever he’s talking to the press.
We cannot imagine Frank changing his mind any time soon, though. It would be a huge call to make, and that kind of turbulence is probably not something anyone at Spurs can afford right now.