Romero labelled it "disgraceful" that the squad was left with only 11 fit players for the Manchester City game
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Thomas Frank has declined to confirm whether Tottenham captain Cristian Romero faced disciplinary action following his recent social media outburst.
Romero sparked headlines on Monday when, within an hour of the transfer window closing, he took to Instagram.
The defender revealed he played through illness during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City and labelled it "disgraceful" that the squad was left with only 11 fit players.
Although Frank himself admitted he would not have made similar comments, the sentiment resonated with many disgruntled Spurs supporters, particularly given the club’s limited transfer activity since the signing of Conor Gallagher on 14 January.
The situation is further exacerbated by the loss of nine players to injuries since the start of 2026.
Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Manchester United, a measured Frank said: “If you want to know what he meant, you of course need to ask him. That is the right way to take that question.
“Cuti (Romero) is a very passionate character and player. He wants to leave everything on the pitch and he is very ambitious and wants to win every time.
Thomas Frank did not say whether Romero had been fined or disciplined for his social media post
Thomas Frank did not say whether Romero had been fined or disciplined for his social media post (PA Wire)
“Sometimes when you are like that, sometimes there can be an outburst, which happened this time. It is something we have dealt with and dealt with internally.”
Pushed if Romero had been fined or disciplined, with the Spurs defender also having made his feelings clear on social media following a 3-2 loss away to Bournemouth on January 7, Frank sidestepped the question.
He added: “There is a lot of ways of doing things. Cuti has been very good for us this season and past seasons.
“I wouldn’t have done it. That’s my message.
“I think the beauty of written text is that you can read a lot into it and nobody really knows what was the purpose of it except Cuti or the guys who have spoken to him.
“It shows that Cuti is extremely passionate, he wants to win, he wants to do everything he can together with his team-mates to achieve great things, but you need to ask him next time you speak to him.”
Several of Romero’s team-mates liked his Instagram post, but Frank countered: “First and foremost, we don’t know what a like means.
“I don’t know how many words were there in the text. Is it, ‘well done guys, you did amazingly when I had to go off on a half-time’. If that is a like, then perfect, then there is nothing.”
Frank did confirm he expected Romero to be available at Old Trafford despite his bout of illness and Micky van de Ven will also return in a timely boost after he missed the last two matches with a knock.
Amid a flurry of questions on Romero and the club’s transfer activity, Frank reiterated the ambitions of 14th-placed Spurs, who are nine points above West Ham in the relegation zone and 10 points off Liverpool in sixth.
“I think we signed (Conor) Gallagher, which is a quality player for the starting XI,” Frank explained.
“If you compare it to the other Premier League clubs, I think that is very good. I think where we are is okay.
“We tried to do more but it was not possible for whatever reason.
“We are in different stages of where we want to be, but that’s not to say that we are not ambitious. We are very ambitious.”