Cristian Romero so angry' in past but Spurs future is brighter under Frank

"The way that Cristian Romero tells it, there was a kind of rage inside him, an overwhelming desire for Tottenham to be better that sometimes overtook him. The defender could not help himself, he needed to make his views known, but when all of the pieces were put together from last season and into the summer, it was difficult to see that he was planning on staying at the club."

"There was the repost of a social media message last September that claimed he was tired because Spurs had not flown him back on a private jet from Argentina duty. Note: reposts can be endorsements. There was the complaint in December that the club's lack of spending meant they were falling behind Premier League rivals. You have to realise that something is going wrong hopefully they [the board] realise it, he said."

"There was the moment in March of this year when Romero thanked the Argentina medics for his return to fitness after injury while making no mention of the physios at Spurs. There was the interview in April when he said he would love to play in Spain's La Liga. And he appeared to sign off on more than one level in mid-June as he paid tribute to the club's outgoing manager, Ange Postecoglou just after Thomas Frank had been confirmed as his successor."

"Romero's story is the dictionary definition of a volte-face. That he has remained at Spurs might be attributed in part to how Atletico were never likely to find the money to make a compelling offer. But there are additional layers, deeper ones primarily the fact that he ended up signing a four-year contract extension. Also, that he did so as the captain, having agreed to be the on-pitch leader of the Frank era after Son Heung-min's departure for Los Angeles FC."

Cristian Romero publicly displayed frustration with Tottenham through social media reposts and criticism of the club's spending and travel arrangements. He highlighted perceived organisational shortcomings and suggested the board needed to recognise problems. Romero thanked Argentina medics after injury while omitting Spurs' physios and expressed interest in playing in Spain's La Liga. He paid tribute to the outgoing manager as managerial change unfolded. Atletico Madrid links emerged but financial improbability limited that possibility. Romero ultimately signed a four-year contract extension and agreed to be the on-pitch captain under the new managerial era.

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