One of the biggest decisions in Thomas Frank's first summer at Tottenham Hotspur looks set to be the one over Cristian Romero.
It seems to have been a theme for new Spurs head coaches that they must contend immediately with an uncertain future for their star player. In 2023 that was the landscape that greeted Ange Postecoglou with the Harry Kane saga lasting for much of the summer before the England captain eventually made the move to Bayern Munich.
Frank has arrived at a time when he faces the double whammy of losing two of Tottenham's stars in captain Son Heung-min and vice-captain Cristian Romero. Son is in a similar scenario to Kane in that his contract has now reached its final 12 months after Spurs took up the option to extend it beyond this summer.
football.london has previously reported that Son is more open to leaving the club this year than he has been before after finally achieving his dream of lifting silverware at Tottenham. With ten years of service to them, Spurs are expected to let the South Korean star decide his future rather than attempt to push him towards the door to ensure they get a last chance of a decent transfer fee.
Son is understood to have interest in playing in MLS while clubs from the Saudi Pro League remain keen on trying to take him away from the Premier League. First the captain must meet with Frank at Hotspur Way as the players return to pre-season training in stages from this coming week onwards and the duo will discuss the future and a season ahead at Tottenham that contains Champions League football, the competition Son suffered heartbreak in in 2019.
With Romero, the situation is different to Son's and that of Kane. The Argentine still has two years left on his contract at the north London club which is key to what comes next this summer because the club hold the power for now.
For his part, Frank wants to keep Romero for a big season ahead and Tottenham are not going to let the Europa League player of the tournament and someone Lionel Messi labelled 'the best defender in the world' go for the kind of transfer fee normally forked out for average Premier League fare.
Romero had injury issues last season which meant he only started 18 games in the competition, as Postecoglou also protected him for the European games, but the World Cup winner and two-time Copa America winner is someone who lifts others when he plays and that was clear in the Europa League as he was not just the player of the tournament but man of the match in the final in Bilbao.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has not been shy in publicly declaring his desire to sign his compatriot and it will be a sign of strength from Spurs and backing for their new head coach if they keep a player he believes can lead his defence into a new era were the La Liga side to actually put their money where their manager's mouth is. For talk in Argentina of a bid already being accepted by Tottenham is believed to be wide of the mark.
Before his departure, Frank's predecessor Postecoglou had made it very clear that it was vital Tottenham kept Romero within their ranks.
"I think Romero is absolutely important to keep at this football club. You just saw the way he’s been in the last [few weeks] and he hasn’t been fully fit to be fair with his toe, but you’ve seen he’s a World Cup winner. He is a winner," said the Australian. "You saw that in all the big games we’ve had and the lads certainly respect him very highly.
"He makes them walk a bit taller, so yeah from my perspective it is a no-brainer that making sure players like him [stay], because if he goes, who do you replace him with? There are not too many out there like him. It will be very important for the club to try and retain him, and retain him for the longer-term I think."
Romero and Postecoglou had a strong bond and the Argentine showed his public displeasure at the 59-year-old's sacking by releasing his view on him within an hour of Frank's appointment as the new head coach.
"Ange, thank you for these two incredible seasons. You're a fantastic coach, but above all, a great person who deserves the best," he posted. "From day one you paved the way despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist. Beyond everything, we won a trophy and went down in the history of this beautiful club, which is the only thing that matters. I wish you the best because you deserve the best, and thank you for everything."
Romero does have plenty of affection towards Tottenham but is also not afraid of speaking his mind about the club's failures in interviews to the media back home in Argentina. He has been critical of decisions made by the Spurs hierarchy over recent seasons and admitted recently that he wants to play in La Liga at some stage. If Romero really wants to leave Tottenham this summer then the Argentinean public and then the rest of the world are likely to hear about it from his own mouth.
His conversations with Frank in the weeks ahead will be key. The Dane is different to Postecoglou but he is also a players' coach with an infectious personality and positivity. You'll struggle to find a single player the 51-year-old has managed over the years who didn't relish working with him.
Romero's aggressive way of playing will sit well within Frank's system and the new Spurs boss is keen to build his young defence around a constant winner in the Argentine as they take on the extra challenge of the Champions League. If Son does depart this summer then Romero is the likely candidate to take over the captaincy.
The decorated centre-back, who captained Argentina this month in their win in Chile, will also need to see that Tottenham are showing the same ambition he holds and this summer's transfer window around him could be as crucial as what they do with him.
This is a chance for Tottenham to show some strength and back Frank, the man they believe can lead them on all fronts and not leave another new manager facing yet another complete rebuild at the club. For Romero will likely be wondering what the point would be in sacking the man who finally ended the club's 17-year trophy drought if not to throw everything at the new man to succeed.