Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has been dealt another major Spurs injury blow after 'bad news' from a reporter this week.
Spurs suffer Sunderland defeat as relegation fears escalate
The damage done at Sunderland on Sunday extends beyond a 1-0 defeat and another week without a Premier League win.
Tottenham came back from the Stadium of Light having lost their captain to a knee injury, their 16th league defeat of the season confirmed, and their position in the bottom three unchanged — now two points from safety with only six games left.
Nordi Mukiele's 61st-minute strike, deflected beyond Antonin Kinsky via Micky van de Ven's boot, settled a game in which De Zerbi's new-look Spurs showed moments of intent but never truly threatened to break past Robin Roefs.
Dominic Solanke wasted the clearest opening of the afternoon early in the second half, and a VAR review overturned what would have been a first-half penalty.
Both contributed to the feeling that Spurs' old problem — converting too little — remained firmly intact under new management.
Nottingham Forest's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on the same afternoon meant they moved three points clear of Spurs in 17th, with the gap between Tottenham and safety ever widening.
The Cristian Romero situation, though, has since become the dominant story.
The Argentine centre-back, who had a poor game overall with van de Ven, was pushed into his own goalkeeper by Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey mid-collision — which left both players requiring treatment, with Kinsky able to continue after having his head strapped and Romero unable to do the same.
He then left the pitch in tears and was replaced by Kevin Danso.
De Zerbi said afterwards that he hoped the problem was not serious, acknowledging when pressed that the knee looked like the area of concern.
Cristian Romero likely to miss rest of the season at Tottenham
Argentine journalist Martin Arevalo has since confirmed the timeframe.
Romero now faces between five and eight weeks out with a knee injury — a window that covers the remainder of the Premier League season entirely but, crucially, leaves him on course to be fit for the World Cup.
Arevalo noted that while the diagnosis represents difficult news at club level, the timing is such that Argentina can expect one of their most important defenders to arrive at the tournament in shape.
Argentina begin their Group J campaign against Algeria in June as defending champions.
For Tottenham, the outlook is considerably less encouraging.
Romero joins a lengthy absentee list that already includes Guglielmo Vicario, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ben Davies.
Kevin Danso, who came on as replacement at Sunderland, will likely fill the gap alongside Micky van de Ven in the back four.
Brighton visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Saturday — De Zerbi's former employers, managed by his successor.
It is the kind of fixture that carries a strange additional weight, though the more pressing concern is straightforward.
Spurs need points from somewhere, and they need them quickly. Six games remain, and with each passing weekend the mathematical margins grow tighter.