Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has expressed frustration with the club’s board over its lack of investment following the disappointing 4-3 defeat to Chelsea at home.
Spurs squandered a 2-0 lead on Sunday, and under Ange Postecoglou, the team has now won only one of their last seven matches across all competitions.
In an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes after the loss, Argentina’s Romero stated that the club’s failure to invest is causing them to fall behind their competitors.
“Manchester City competes every year, you see how Liverpool strengthens its squad, Chelsea strengthens their squad, doesn’t do well, strengthens again, and now they’re seeing results. Those are the things to imitate,” said Romero.
“You have to realize that something is going wrong, hopefully, they [the board] realize it.”
The result against London rivals Chelsea left Tottenham in the bottom half of the Premier League table, sitting 11th after 15 games.
Similar runs of form have seen Spurs part ways with managers in recent years, but Romero believes the board should take the blame rather than Postecoglou.
The Australian is the fifth manager, including caretakers, that the 26-year-old has played under since arriving in 2021.
“The last few years, it’s always the same – first the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it’s always the same people responsible,” said Romero, in an interview translated from Spanish.
“Hopefully they realize who the true responsible ones are and we move forward because it’s a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year.”
How did Romero’s interview happen?
Romero spoke in Spanish during a live interview with a reporter from Telemundo Deportes, where he was asked about Tottenham’s squad depth. The interview was broadcast live on TV and later published as both a text article and a video clip online.
However, the link to the full interview, initially available on Telemundo Deportes’ website, now redirects readers to a page that reads, “We’re sorry. The page you are looking for is no longer available.”
While part of the interview, where Romero praised manager Ange Postecoglou, was widely quoted, including by BBC Sport, the more critical remarks regarding the club’s investment and squad depth emerged later. British media began reporting the translated comments on Monday night.
Defending Daniel Levy – Tottenham ‘are run sustainably’
Tottenham reported losses of £86.8m in April for the 2022-23 season, the latest publicly available financial data.
While total revenue rose by 24% to a record £549.6m, with matchday income reaching a high of £117.6m, the club still posted a loss for the fourth consecutive year, following a £50.1m deficit in 2022.
Chairman Daniel Levy, who has held the position since 2001, stated that the club is actively seeking “prospective investors.”
“To continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects, the club requires a significant increase in its equity base,” he said.
Spurs sold England captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for 100m euros (£86.4m) in August, but that deal fell outside the financial window and will be included in the 2023-24 accounts.
Journalist Rory Smith defended Levy on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, praising the “sustainable” way he runs the club.
In 2022-23, Tottenham spent £148.4m on transfers according to Transfermarkt, while in 2023-24 – Postecoglou’s first season in charge – they spent £224.5m.
This summer, Tottenham spent £122.8m on the likes of Sweden midfielder Lucas Bergvall (£8.5m), English midfielder Archie Gray (£30m,) and England striker Dominic Solanke (£65m).
“The way Spurs is run is sustainable and ultimately that’s good, that’s what clubs should be doing,” said Smith.
“Spurs’ business in the summer was verfuture-focuseded – Bergvall is 19 years old, Gray is 19 – those are smart signings.
“Solanke is probably overpriced because he’s English and 27 but he is a proven Premier League goalscorer and that’s what Spurs needed after losing Kane.”
Tottenham has spent £949m on transfers since 2016-17 with a net spend of £518m, according to FootballTransfer.com data.
In comparison ,Premier League leaders Liverpool’s total spend in the same period is £858m with a net spend of £308m.