Tottenham Hotspur are playing football today - and football means press conferences. Thomas Frank sat down for the first press conference of his tenure ahead of the preseason fixture at Reading, and took on all manner of topics hurled at him from the press corps: not least, the subject of who takes on the captaincy role at Tottenham Hotspur this season:
There’s been speculation around your captain Son Heung-min and your vice-captain Cristian Romero, can I get your thoughts on those two players and whether
ADyou’re banking on them for next season?
Two top players, Sonny, been here 10 years, finally got his well-deserved trophy in the summer. So important for the team and the club. Cristian Romeo, World Cup winner, Europa League winner, Copa America winner, very, very important for us as well. Both have trained well, setting the standards out there on the training pitch and both will play tomorrow so I’m very happy.
***
Back to Sonny and Romero, have you had any conversations with them about their future?
My expectation is all the players are here and they are training well. That is what I am focusing on and again very impressed by them. They set the standards and train hard. As I said, they are playing tomorrow, that’s a good indicator that they are here.
***
On Son, have you decided who your captain will be?
Good question. I haven’t decided anything on that. I have a long list of bullet points I need to get through and I take them in the right order. He was the captain last year and when we play two 45s tomorrow, Son and Romero will be the two captains, but I haven’t made a final decision.
It’s an interesting line of questioning from the press, and obviously not an easy one for Frank to address, with so much time left in the transfer window - but it’s one that needs addressing. The reality is that there is a lot of uncertainty around two of Ange Postecoglou’s leadership group in the shape of Cuti and Son.
Son Heung-min is undoubtedly a Tottenham Hotspur legend at this point. His leadership on the pitch helped take Spurs to European glory last season, and he has shown incredible loyalty to the club through both the peaks and valleys of the last several seasons when he perhaps could have gone on to greener pastures elsewhere.
Son though is now in the twilight of his career, and it may now suit him to head elsewhere for one last payday - of which he is very much deserving - and even if he chooses to stay, chances are his playing time could begin to dwindle as Spurs look to the future. If Sonny isn’t going to be seeing much time on the pitch, is he the right choice for the captaincy role?
Cristian Romero’s situation is even less clear. He has been linked away from the club for some time now, wanting to test himself elsewhere. Atletico Madrid has been the club most strongly linked with the Argentine, and even though they seem to have backed off in their pursuit, there is still a strong possibility they or another big European club come in strong with a large bid that could be enticing for Spurs to accept, especially given Cuti’s contract situation.
Further embargoed quotes from Frank were less than committal about the center back’s future (“Right now, he’s here, and that’s what I’m focusing on...”), and there’s also been a number of links in the last 48 hours to Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix, as well as Bournemouth’s Ilya Zabarnyi, both pricey, right-sided center backs. The links are tenuous, but perhaps worth mentioning as it does cast somewhat of a shadow on the chances of Cristian Romero still being at Spurs this coming season.
As per Frank, however, both players will be playing today, and the captaincy role is one of many challenges the Dane will have to navigate. Frank provided insight on some more of those subjects as well, touching on new signings, injuries, and competing in multiple competitions. The full transcript (courtesy of Football London) is worth checking out, and Frank seems calm, measured, and well aware of the mountain he has to climb. I’m looking forward to seeing how he tackles it.
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