Tottenham: Under-pressure Frank holds talks with Romero after social media ‘mistake’

Thomas Frank says Cristian Romero made a “mistake” in appearing to criticise the Tottenham hierarchy and had clear-the-air talks with the defender this morning.

Romero went on Instagram in the immediate aftermath of the disappointing 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth last night and penned a now-deleted post that suggested “other people” should be coming out to speak and that they “only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies”.

It is not known who Romero was talking about specifically but his words only add to a sense of malaise around Spurs, who sit 14th in the Premier League table.

Asked about his captain this afternoon ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Aston Villa, Frank said: “I think after Cuti [Romero] became the captain he’s done a lot of good things right. I said it when I named him the captain that even though he’s an experienced player, he’s still a young leader. And I think a lot of the things he’s done well on and off the pitch I’m happy with.

“I’m actually very happy with his performance last night, I think he was a true captain in many ways throughout the game. Speaking at half-time when we were 2-1 down, keep believing, keep doing the right things. But also when you’re a young leader sometimes you make a mistake, of course it’s good to keep it internal.

“[Technical director] Johan [Lange] and I had a good conversation with him this morning about everything, which we of course keep internal.”

Tottenham are aligned – Frank

Frank insisted he and senior figures at the club, including Lange and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, are working closely to improve their current situation and denied suggestions Romero’s outburst would put off potential January signings.

He added: ”I think, especially in football, the most important thing is to keep the noise out. Then you can see there’s this situation with the post from Cuti.

“There could be others where it’s maybe not that positive or a lot of people speaking.

“When we want to attract players, we need to tell our, as close to possible, unbiased story and a good story about this fantastic, beautiful club and why you should come to the club. I’m pretty sure that clever players and agents can look through if there’s a little bit of noise.

“I think it’s very important to stress that even though there’s noise, the club is very aligned. Johan, Vinai and I are very aligned. Ownership is very aligned. We know it’s a tough spell that we need to get through.”

Frank sidestepped a question about the incidents after the game at the Vitality Stadium that saw Micky van de Ven clash with Spurs fans after they booed the team.

“I think our away fans were very good throughout the game last night,” said the Dane. “They were backing us, singing and supporting as they should do. Everyone will be happy when we win more games. It is as simple as that.”

Massive injury blow for Tottenham with Kudus sidelined

Winning more games will not be straightforward due to an injury list that is getting longer by the day.

Frank confirmed midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall sustained injuries at Bournemouth.

“Lucas Bergvall is being assessed today. We will know more later today with him,” he said.

“Same with Rodrigo Bentancur. Rodri has a hamstring injury – looks like a bigger one, unfortunately. We don’t know the time frame. That we will know later.”

Summer signing Mohammed Kudus, who limped off in the draw against Sunderland on Sunday, is expected to miss at least two months. 

Frank said: ”Mohammed Kudus unfortunately is a bigger one to the tendon in the quad. That is one where we expect him back after the March international break.”

We have deserved better – Tottenham boss Frank

Frank remains under intense pressure at Spurs but he insists it is not all doom and gloom and claimed his side’s recent performances deserved a greater points haul.

“I think the last five games we played, it has been consistent, good, competitive performances and that’s what you need in a long season,” he said.

“Those five games should have given us more than the five points we got. Probably eight, nine, 10 points. That’s what we are focusing on.

“It is my job to deal with scrutiny. I will take all the questions and the blame. It is also my job to look through everything and look through the defeat last night. It was emotional but in many ways it was good and we deserve more.

“We need to keep doing that. The last two games should have got us four points, maybe more.”