Martin Keown makes Cristian Romero transfer prediction and sets Tottenham relegation deadline
Martin Keown believes Tottenham Hotspur should consider selling Cristian Romero at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old defender has missed each of Spurs' last three games in the English top-flight due to suspension after he was sent off during the defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last month. Having already been dismissed earlier in the season, a red card against Liverpool in December, Romero extended his suspension to four matches.
The Lilywhites have struggled in his absence, losing all three of the games. Romero will be available for selection again when Tottenham face Liverpool at Anfield next week, but he must watch the Crystal Palace clash on Thursday night from the sidelines.
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While there are question marks over the Argentina international's discipline, Keown has tipped him to play a key role in Spurs' pursuit for Premier League safety. The Arsenal legend spoke to football.london
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"I think that's been really expensive for the club, and he's one of the players that they have to really look at as to whether he's part of the future," said Keown. "Because, you know, he's ill-disciplined."
The TNT Sports pundit added: "You need him back. They need one win, and they get out of trouble. I'm not sure where that's coming now. They've lost their focus on where they are as a club. The whole culture at that football club is going to have to change."
Tottenham are four points adrift of the relegation zone, and they've got three games to climb the table before the March international break. On Igor Tudor, who was appointed interim head coach last month, Keown continued: "They brought somebody in, like a trouble-shooter from out of town, who doesn't understand the Premier League in the same way.
"They became so impatient with Thomas Frank. I think Thomas Frank would have handled it until the end of the season. And if they wanted to make a change, they could make a change."
Keown added: "Maybe Van der Ven is a player who developed more under Thomas Frank than anyone else, who's now kind of downed tools a little bit because he’s lost his manager. I don't know.
"But, it's not got better since he (Tudor) came in there. He looked, after an hour against Arsenal, that he was struggling to get a reaction from his team. So, I mean, Palace is an interesting one, because Palace now is not quite what they were since Glasner announced he was leaving.
"But I think they might go there and enjoy, you know, this local rivalry. It’s big. But, when you see the pressure on someone else, people enjoy it, don't they? You've seen that with Arsenal.
"So, they've got to get something quickly because this swing is mushrooming and getting bigger every day, and the pressure is really building on Spurs. And I'm pretty well certain that – we talk about meetings, crisis meetings – there's got to be one there today because they need to get some results from fast.
"There’s the game against Forest, which kind of feels like a winner-takes-all. They’re only one win away, really, but where's that wing coming from?"
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