Neville Rips Into Spurs Over Romero Absence Saga as Relegation Battle Looms

Gary Neville has torn into Tottenham over their mishandling of Cristian Romero's trip to Argentina, branding the episode a telling sign of the club's broader dysfunction as they battled relegation on the final day.

The Spurs skipper jetted back to his homeland this week with intentions to catch boyhood outfit Belgrano in a title-decider—a fixture that took priority over his own team's season-defining clash against Everton. The match carried enormous stakes for Tottenham, with victory or a draw guaranteeing they could not drop out of the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Romero ultimately had a change of mind and took a place on the bench for the Everton encounter, yet Neville remains unimpressed with both player and club. The former Manchester United captain suspects the defender's time at Spurs may be finished, with Atletico Madrid reportedly circling him ahead of the summer window.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville highlighted the damage the saga had inflicted on the club's image. "It's another something Tottenham fans can look at and think there's another disconnect," he said. "They are coming here today to support their team and the captain or the club is considering not being here for the last game of the season. Bad decision. Poor choice."

The pundit questioned whether anyone at the club had considered the optics of their captain being spotted in Argentina during such a critical moment. "What are you thinking? Did you not think he'd been spotted back in Argentina? Did you not think he'd be seen as missing in action?" Neville asked.

He concluded by suggesting the entire affair exemplified Tottenham's decision-making problems. "It's symptomatic of poor decision making, it's something they've corrected and he's going to be here but everyone knows originally the decision was not for him to be here," Neville added.

Manager Roberto De Zerbi sidestepped questions about his captain in the build-up to the final fixture, declining to discuss Romero or fellow absentee Dejan Kulusevski. "I don't want to answer about Romero, about Kulusevski. They can't play, they don't play and they are not here. My focus is on Djed Spence, on Randal Kolo Muani, on Richarlison," the Italian stated.

Both Romero and Kulusevski were present at the stadium, pictured alongside injured midfielder Mohammed Kudus as the trio watched their teammates prepare. De Zerbi's injury crisis—particularly the absences of Kulusevski and Kudus, who suffered serious knocks—had contributed heavily to Spurs' precarious position heading into the season's climax.