De Zerbi names Van de Ven Tottenham captain as Romero departs for Atletico Madrid

Micky van de Ven has been named Tottenham Hotspur’s new captain by head coach Roberto De Zerbi, filling the void left by Cristian Romero following the Argentine’s move to Atletico Madrid last week. The Dutch centre-back, who signed a new long-term contract earlier this month, will lead the club into the new season.

Van de Ven heads a five-player leadership group that also includes Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, James Maddison and 20-year-old Archie Gray. With Van de Ven and Porro both unavailable to start against Brentford on Saturday, Gray could find himself wearing the armband.

De Zerbi explained the thinking behind the expanded captaincy structure: “The new captain is Micky van de Ven. The second Pedro Porro, the third Ben Davies, the fourth James Maddison and the fifth Archie Gray. Why five captains? Just because I want many captains inside of the pitch and to be clear in the position. Every one of them deserves to be captain or in the group of the captains, but personality and passion is not if you are captain or not captain.”

Romero’s departure drew a heartfelt farewell from the defender, who spent five seasons at the club. In a lengthy statement posted on Instagram, the Argentine reflected on a stint he described as deeply personal.

“Today, I say goodbye to a place that, for five seasons, was much more than a club,” Romero wrote. “It was my home, my challenge and the place where my family and I built such an important part of our lives.”

Romero pointed to Tottenham’s trophy win as the defining moment of his time in north London. “When I arrived, I had a clear dream: to leave my name in this club’s history. I knew the only way was through hard work, sacrifice and achieving something that had seemed so difficult for so long: lifting a trophy again. And we did it.”

He signed off with a message to supporters: “I leave with a heart full of memories and enormous pride for everything we lived and achieved together. I know I wasn’t perfect, but one thing gives me peace: I always gave everything. I defended this shirt with pride and with all my heart. Once I was one of you. Today, I leave as one of you forever.”