Tottenham ended the weekend in the Premier League relegation zone after losing to Sunderland, but their plight worsened with the news that Cristian Romero will not play again this season.
Cristian Romero will miss the rest of the season (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
Tottenham have been dealt a huge blow as Cristian Romero has been ruled out for the remainder of the season as they look set to be relegated to the Premier League. Romero left the pitch in tears during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland, but the extent of his injury became clear.
The Spurs captain was injured in a collision with goalkeeper Antonin Kinski at the Stadium of Light in the second half. He was chasing the ball towards goal under pressure from Sunderland striker Brian Brobby when he saw Kinski’s knee slam into his head.
Kevin Danso replaced Romero because Kinski sustained a bruise on his forehead. An MRI scan on Monday confirmed that he had sustained a severe partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
This means the centre-back will be unavailable for the final six Premier League games of the season. Spurs’ loss at the weekend and West Ham’s 4-0 win at Wolves left Roberto De Zerbi’s side in 18th place, two points behind the Hammers and three points behind Nottingham Forest and Leeds, who play Manchester United on Monday night.
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Romero will not require surgery, meaning he could still recover in time to play for Argentina at this summer’s World Cup. However, his absence will be a blow for new Spurs manager De Zerbi. De Zerbi emphasized his importance in his words on Sunday.
“I hope it’s not that important for us because he’s a very important player for us, a good guy, a top player, a big personality and we need him to finish the season and achieve our goals,” De Zerbi said.
Romero was a key player for Spurs during a difficult season, scoring six goals and providing four assists in 32 games across all competitions. A partnership with Micky van de Ven appeared to be a key piece of the jigsaw, but the Dutchman will likely end up playing alongside either Danso or Radu Dragusin.
Cristian Romero injured in collision with Antonin Kinski (Image: Getty Images)
Tottenham have not won a league match in 2026, with their winning streak extending to 14 games. They host Brighton on Saturday and face bottom-of-the-table Wolves the following weekend. The final four games of the season will be against Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton.
De Zerbi joins after Igor Tudor’s 44-day spell and faces a huge task in keeping Spurs afloat. “The players are all good lads but they are struggling at this moment,” he said after the defeat to Sunderland.
“They are certainly not happy to see us losing games and seeing Tottenham sink to the bottom of the table, but we have to find the energy, we have to find the right mentality to be positive and we have to think during the week that they are with me. I believe in their qualities, so definitely they will find a positive manager.”
“We are Tottenham but we are not going to win games just because we are Tottenham. You can’t win games on paper.”
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