EXCLUSIVE: Joe Cole fires Cristian Romero clear message after 'destructive' Tottenham behaviour
Cristian Romero capped off a disastrous start to the year for Tottenham Hotspur, on and off the pitch, with a jab at the hierarchy and a red card at Old Trafford
Joe Cole has urged Cristian Romero to keep his feelings in-house as Tottenham Hotspur fight for survival in the Premier League. The 27-year-old defender has been at the centre of attention during what has been a disastrous start to the year for the Lilywhites, on and off the pitch.
Last week, Romero publicly condemned the Spurs hierarchy for their failure to invest in the squad. Thomas Frank leapt to his captain's defence in an effort to defuse the situation, only to throw himself into the firing line a few days later.
Despite Romero's spiky comments, the Dane started his skipper against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Argentina international was given his marching orders inside the opening half hour, extending Tottenham's winless streak to seven games.
Spurs dropped to 15th in the Premier League, with just six points separating them from West Ham in the bottom three. The Lilywhites will now be without Romero for four games, notably missing the North London Derby.
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Speaking to football.london ahead of this week's Premier League fixtures, which will be broadcast on TNT Sports and discovery+, Cole urged the Argentine to keep his thoughts in-house. The Chelsea legend said: "Romero, first of all, is a top defender, but I think how he’s handled himself has left a lot to be desired.
"His behaviour, in terms of the online stuff, which is very difficult for me to comment on because it wasn’t around properly when I was playing, so I don’t know how to react. I just know that the dressing room is sacred.
"Especially when you're a senior player, and you've got to lead, he should be keeping these feelings in-house and talking to people and doing things the right way
"But as a footballer, he's superb. As a person, I'm sure he's a lovely person, but his actions and his behaviour have been destructive to his team, to his club and his teammates."
Cole sympathised with Frank, who's under immense pressure to transform Tottenham's fortunes. The TNT Sports pundit added: "Thomas Frank has the hardest job. He's a great manager, and if it works at Tottenham, great, but if it doesn’t, wherever he goes next, he’ll be absolutely fine.
"I have no idea what they're going to do, but what they should do is do a very, very good appraisal. Let him have his first season, do an appraisal and see where the problems lay.
"Is it problems with the quality of the players that are coming in? Is it a problem with culture? How long does that take to change, and how long do you want to give Thomas Frank?
"I think Thomas Frank’s a top manager, I've seen him work. I think the club is in a very, very difficult place to work as a football manager, and he’s in a very difficult environment."
Cole added: "Your best bet if you’re Spurs is leaning into Thomas Frank and asking what he needs to get the team right, and leave all of that to someone who understands it, and everything else, the commercial stuff, can be done by the businessman.
"The football, leave that to Thomas Frank..."