Cristian Romero has been labelled as one of the worst captains in Premier League history amid his impending Tottenham exit.
Those are the views of ex-Liverpool striker Dean Saunders and former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor, who have slammed the Spurs star for his behaviour last season.
Romero and Spurs finished in 17th place for the second straight top-flight campaign last term, which was his first as captain.
He played 23 games and received two red cards, also getting embroiled in a controversy at the end of the season.
The feisty centre-back flew to Argentina despite Tottenham having a must-win relegation clash on the final day.
Then, over the summer, he was involved in some World Cup chaos that saw his nation majorly criticised for their actions.
All of those factors led to Saunders calling him one of the worst skippers to have ever played in the Premier League.
He said on talkSPORT Breakfast: “Romero is up there with one of the worst captains in the history of the Premier League.
“Spurs have finished 17th and 17th, two years running. He was the captain so he can’t be that good can he?
“And he’s an absolute liability on the pitch. He’s a walking red card and his behaviour in the World Cup after the whistle went sums him up.”
Agbonlahor slams ‘shocking’ Romero
Agbonlahor agreed with Saunders’ take on Romero when reacting to his comments on Drive on Friday afternoon.
“I think it’s fair,” the former England forward said, also criticising the Spurs defender. “As a captain, you have to be reliable.
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“A captain is a role that’s a privilege, you should be going around in the game and training ground setting standards.
“He’s not the kind of captain you want…if you’re struggling in a game you’re not looking at him to lift you. He’d probably go and get sent off.”
Agbonlahor added: “I think he’s a liability…when he’s at it, especially for Argentina, he’s a top defender, but something about his ego says to be he thinks he’s better than Spurs.
“I think he thinks Spurs are beneath him, the way he tried to stay in Argentina for the last game of the season, he probably got forced by his agent to get back.
“He’s a liability, he’s got anger issues, he should see someone about that because some of the tackles and red cards he got over his career have been shocking.
“I think in the Premier League now, you need to be able to trust all 22, 23 players not to give a silly red card away.”
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Agbonlahor continued to rip into Romero, questioning the 28-year-old’s short fuse and differing attitude with club and country.
“Football has changed,” he said. “It’s different to 20 years ago when if someone’s annoying you, you can leave one on them.
“You can’t do it anymore, how many times has he done it? He’s got frustrated by someone and left a bit on them and got sent off.
“You shouldn’t do it anyway, but when you’re captain and in your late 20s…
“He’s good at tackling when it suits him – 40 caps for Argentina and zero red cards, but for Spurs six red cards, that says it all.”
And now, Romero is set to leave Tottenham after five years…
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On the way out
Tottenham captain Romero has agreed personal terms to join Atletico Madrid, talkSPORT understands.
He held talks with Inter Milan this summer and was even linked to a shock move to north London rivals Arsenal.
But now, he looks set to be heading to Spain – and that’s a move that Agbonlahor thinks suits him to a tee.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico have become renowned for their aggressive approach on the pitch over the years….
“If there’s a team that suit Romero, it’s Atletico Madrid,” he said.
“If there was a bet I could put on that he’d get the most red cards, it’d be on him.”
