Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Wed 27 May 2026 21:00, UK

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Cristian Romero made the right choice in attending Tottenham Hotspur‘s final game of the season after rumours that he would be out of the country.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes Spurs are stuck in a waiting game over the club captain’s future this season.

Ahead of the Lilywhites’ crucial final-day Premier League clash against Everton, rumours began to circulate that the sidelined defender was jetting out to watch River Plate versus Belgrano.

Despite being under contract until the summer of 2029, Romero is expected to depart Tottenham, but rumours around him being absent on the day Spurs could have been relegated were dramatised.

Cristian Romero made right call ahead of Spurs’ season-defining game

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – remains sceptical over the story, but believes that the player made the right decision in the end.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness said: “Because of the jeopardy that Spurs were in, that story gained a lot of traction. I heard it talked about a lot.

“People were really slamming Romero for this because they were sure he was going to be in Argentina watching River Plate. The facts were that he was actually on the touchline, and he claims there was no foundation to the story.

“We’ll have to find out if that’s the case or not. But in the end, the right thing was done. The captain has a responsibility, and he should be there for such a crisis game. Let’s see what Romero does for next season.

“In the end, the right things were done, and this story probably got more coverage than it would have done if it had just been a middle table clash at the end of the season. It was a crucial game, and he was rightly there.”

What is the latest on Romero’s Tottenham future?

Football Insider understands that Romero is edging closer to a Spurs exit, with the player’s father revealing that his contract includes a release clause.

This clause could allow him to leave for between £37.8million and £53million, and the defender already has interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona ahead of the summer.

It would appear that Roberto De Zerbi already has plans to replace the experienced centre-half, with the Lilywhites closing in on a deal for Marcos Senesi, who is set to leave Bournemouth on a free transfer.

With him and Andy Robertson, potentially, the new manager will have plenty of experience to fall back on next season, but the hierarchy will be hoping to see a lot more cash should Romero depart.