Cristian Romero is still Tottenham’s captain, even after taking another shot at the club’s higher-ups on social media—twice in a month, actually.

“Leadership means a lot of things,” Spurs boss Thomas Frank said, trying to make sense of it all. The timing wasn’t great, since Spurs had just pulled off an impressive comeback to get a point against Manchester City, stretching their unbeaten run to four games.

“I’m 52,” Frank went on. “I think I’m pretty good at leadership. Can I get better? Sure. Do I make mistakes? Not daily, but probably every week.

“Romero’s 27. He’ll continue to make mistakes as a leader. He also does a lot of things right.”

Romero’s latest outburst came right after the transfer window closed on Monday. He posted that it was “disgraceful” that the Spurs only had 11 available players. Frank said they handled the situation behind closed doors. It wasn’t the first time, either—last month Romero posted a cryptic message about people at the club who “show up when things are going well to tell a few lies”, but he avoided any punishment.

Romero’s frustration is hard to ignore. He just signed a new four-year contract in August, pushing him into the club’s top earners, but now there’s fresh talk about Atletico Madrid being interested. When asked about Romero’s future, Frank shrugged: “I have no idea. He’s our captain; he has a long-term contract. We just signed him.”

A lot of fans agree with Romero. They’ve watched transfer windows come and go, always ending with more excuses than new players. This time, the captain himself is saying what they’re all thinking.

Romero is in his fifth season at Spurs. He joined from Atalanta in 2021, first on loan, then permanently. He’s seen nine transfer windows, and, honestly, he sees a pattern.

Spurs always talk about ambition and having cash to spend, but the players they want usually end up somewhere else—sometimes even going to direct rivals. Maybe Spurs don’t offer enough money, or maybe players just think they’re less likely to win things here. Probably both.

Look at last summer: Eberechi Eze, Bryan Mbeumo—missed. It’s been happening for years. Willian? Gone. Virgil van Dijk? Nope. Liverpool hijacked Luis Diaz. Gabriel Jesus went to Arsenal, and just last month, Antoine Semenyo slipped away. Spurs can outbid Wolves for Kevin Danso or beat Brentford to Archie Grey, but when it comes to battling the really big clubs, they rarely win.

Romero left the Man City game at halftime because he was feeling unwell, but you can bet he’s heard all the promises before. Maybe his teammates' liking his posts has, too. The fans definitely have, which is why they back Romero for speaking up—it just adds to his cult hero status.

On Wednesday, Spurs put out an interview with sporting director Johan Lange on the club’s channels. Lange talked about how tough the January window was. He pointed out that only 33 signings happened across the Premier League, blaming it on the new European competition format, fixture congestion, and injuries forcing clubs to hold on to players.

Lange has been at Spurs since October 2023. The club’s spent £420 million on 15 players over five windows, plus four loans that haven’t become permanent yet.

No one’s really made a huge impact. Dominic Solanke, who cost £65 million, is probably the closest, and he might have done more if he hadn’t missed the first half of the season injured.

Now Solanke’s back, and Spurs look better with him up front. Xavi Simons is starting to shine. Mohammed Kudus looked promising before his injury. But really, it’s all still about potential and patience—waiting on Grey, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, or Mathys Tel.

“I know the club wants to win, and so do the owners. I’ve got no doubt we’ll see that moving forward,” Frank said. He mentioned Simons and Kudus as good signings from last summer and Joao Palhinha as a solid loan. But for now, it’s still more talk than trophies.

“It’s not like we’re against loaning players to beef up the squad,” he said. “And if you look at the other top six clubs, bringing in Conor Gallagher was a pretty big move for us.”

But let’s be honest—there’s no blockbuster signing here. Nothing that shakes things up or sends a message, like Arsenal grabbing Declan Rice to show they mean business. Or Liverpool swooping in for Isak from Newcastle.

People say actions speak louder than words, and it’s true. Spurs needed a winger, but they couldn’t pull Jarrod Bowen away from West Ham, so they settled for Kudus instead.

Frank, just like Ange Postecoglou last year, has had to deal with injuries. He’s complained about juggling Europe and the Premier League, but come on—Spurs have played in Europe in 18 of the last 20 years. By now, they should know what it takes to build a squad that can really compete everywhere. If they don’t, will they ever?

That’s the heart of what Romero’s getting at. He’s echoing what a lot of fans—especially the ones fed up with ENIC—have been saying for ages.

Managers before Frank ran into this same wall, and even now, with Daniel Levy gone and new faces in charge, you’ve still got players in the dressing room raising the same issues, led by their captain, who seems untouchable.

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris says Granit Xhaka’s recovery is going well, but he won’t be fit in time to face his old club Arsenal this weekend.

Xhaka’s been a standout since he came back to the Premier League with Sunderland last summer. He’s played a huge part in their strong season—the club’s first back in the top flight. But he hurt his ankle during Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace and has missed the last two matches against West Ham and Burnley.

No one’s put an exact date on Xhaka’s return, but Le Bris has already suggested his captain might be out for a while. According to The Sunderland Echo, Xhaka could be sidelined for several more weeks, which is a real blow for a team chasing European football.

Missing the Arsenal game stings a bit more for Xhaka personally, since it means he won’t get to play at the Emirates against his old side.

Reporters pressed Le Bris about Xhaka’s latest scan. He said, “Not yet, but he’s going well. He ran on the treadmill today, so that’s positive.”

When asked if there was any upside to Xhaka getting a break from the grind of Premier League football, Le Bris didn’t sugarcoat it: “It’s tough to answer because he’s a really good player. When our best players are on the pitch, things are just better for the team. But that’s football. Injuries and suspensions—they happen, especially at this level. You just have to deal with it. For the guys who step in, it’s a chance to show what they can do.”

Le Bris wants Xhaka back as soon as possible. “He’s still connected with the team. I hope he recovers quickly and comes back as his best self before the season ends.”

Sunderland managed to hold Arsenal to a 2-2 draw back in November at the Stadium of Light—a rare slip for the Gunners this season.

Looking back at that match, Le Bris said, “We learnt we have to show the best version of Sunderland and play with that underdog mentality. Arsenal are a top side—fantastic in the league, brilliant in Europe, and one of the best teams around right now. Playing them is tough, but it’s exciting. The bar is high, so we’ll give it everything.”

Asked whether he enjoys Sunderland’s underdog role, Le Bris didn’t hesitate: “Yeah, for sure. We’re newly promoted. If we keep this mindset and stay humble and stick to our principles, we give ourselves a chance. The level’s high, and mistakes get punished fast, but we can play with freedom. That’s shown in our performances so far.”

He also wants his players to keep showing the confidence and belief they’ve had all season. “Maybe it’s the energy of youth, maybe it’s the club’s identity. Early on, we talked about challenges. If you only expect to win against weaker teams, you miss your shot against the best. You have to believe it’s possible and have that confidence, especially in these big games. But at the same time, you know you’re facing a top squad, and you have to fight for every point.”