Worrying Cristian Romero stat that will give Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank sleepless nights revealed

Spurs captain Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero was sent off for the second time this season against Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur face another extended spell without Cristian Romero following the captain's red card in the 2-0 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday.

The centre back was sent off for a high challenge on Casemiro with the score 0-0 at Old Trafford and will miss the next four games, after his three-match ban for serious foul play was upgraded by one because it was his second red card of the Premier League season.

Worrying Cristian Romero stat will give Thomas Frank cause for concern

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank will be without his captain for the next four games (Image credit: Getty Images)

Romero's disciplinary record is not pretty, with the Argentina defender racking up nine bookings and two red cards across all competitions for his club this season, and six dismissals in total since joining Spurs in 2021.

Manager Thomas Frank has defended the 27-year-old, but admitted ahead of the clash with Newcastle: "When you have a player playing with so much passion and aggression, sometimes, things like that can happen. That's not to say he should not learn from it. Of course he needs to learn from it going forward."

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 03: Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur throws one of his boots after he is substituted due to injury during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Aston Villa FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 03, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Romero has been sent off six times in his Tottenham career (Image credit: Getty Images)

Frank has good reason not to hang his skipper out to dry, particularly with Spurs currently without a win in seven matches in the Premier League, which has left them 15th in the table.

Tottenham have underperformed domestically again this season after last term's 17th-place finish and their record when Romero doesn't play makes for grim reading.

Spurs have won just three of the nine matches in 2025/26 in which their captain wasn't involved: a 3-0 victory against League One Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup, plus away triumphs at Everton and Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

They have drawn two and lost four of the other six games, which will give Frank extra cause for concern ahead of a crucial run of fixtures.

Tottenham's poor form has left them just six points above the Premier League relegation zone, after the teams immediately below them picked up crucial wins in recent weeks.

Mathys Tel looks frustrated while in action for Tottenham

Tottenham's poor form has left them in danger of a relegation battle (Image credit: Getty Images)

If Spurs don't start to turn their fortunes around soon, that gap will narrow even further and the club could be facing a shock relegation to the Championship.

Frank is under serious pressure and will need as many key players fit as possible, so losing Romero for four games is a problem he could certainly do without.

And Spurs will have to improve their record without their captain in the coming weeks if they are to pull away from danger.

Freelance writer

James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for FourFourTwo. He has spent the past three years as a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers and started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.