Toby Alderweireld gives brutal assessment of Tottenham centre-backs Romero and Van de Ven
Spurs icon claims squad lack fundamental quality as Tottenham face relegation battle less than a year after winning the Europa League trophy
Toby Alderweireld has launched a brutal assessment of the current Tottenham Hotspur first team, arguing that the squad’s precarious position is a direct result of a lack of elite ability.
The North London side find themselves in an increasingly desperate situation as the 2025/26 campaign draws to a close, with the club currently languishing in 18th place.
There is a palpable sense of concern surrounding the squad’s ability to arrest a decline that has seen them fail to record a single league victory since the turn of the year.
Alderweireld, a cornerstone of the defensive unit that helped Spurs reach a Champions League final, believes that the high-profile stars at the club have consistently failed to justify their reputations.
Speaking to ESPN NL, the Royal Antwerp captain suggested that the “big players” in the dressing room have vanished during the most critical periods of the season.
“I think you also need to start looking at pure quality,” Alderweireld remarked. “What do big players do? What do quality players do? That is to be decisive at important moments, achieve your level … And that has not been happening all season.”
Defensive leaders targeted for disciplinary failures
The most pointed criticism was reserved for the central defensive pairing of Micky van de Ven and the club captain, Cristian Romero.
Despite being the most established names in the backline, Alderweireld argued that neither has managed to maintain a standard acceptable for a side fighting for its Premier League survival.
He was particularly vocal regarding the conduct of Romero, whose tenure as skipper has been punctuated by a series of costly dismissals.
“I look at Romero, I look at Van de Ven … They just aren’t reaching their level,” Alderweireld added. “Again, not for a period, but actually for an entire season. Then I also look at Romero who gets red cards too often, doesn’t make the right decisions and therefore lets his team down.”
This lack of discipline from the leadership group has been a recurring theme throughout 2026, leaving the team trailing West Ham United in the battle to avoid the drop.
“Players who were acquired for a lot of money but who nevertheless don’t deliver and not in just one or two matches or a period, but throughout the whole season,” the defender added. “You just have to conclude that they are not good enough in terms of quality.”
