Forget Gray: Spurs’ Declan Rice should be De Zerbi’s next captain

Coincidentally or not, Tottenham Hotspur have regained their kind underneath Roberto De Zerbi, whereas captain Cristian Romero has been pressured to look at from the sidelines.

Bizarrely, Brian Brobbey was not punished for his conflict with Antonin Kinski in opposition to Sunderland, however the World Cup winner was not misplaced, with the Lilywhites taking seven factors from their final three Premier League video games.

A monster in his personal proper, as evidenced by final season’s Europa League ultimate win, Romero has vacillated frustratingly into the realm of accountability in 2025/26, along with his antics each on and off the sphere usually making undesirable headlines.

A summer time departure is now a risk amid rising curiosity from Atletico Madrid, with some suggesting the 27-year-old has performed his ultimate recreation in north London, growing the necessity for a long-term alternative as captain.

Candidates to succeed Romero as Spurs captain

Main the way in which in Romero’s absence now could be fellow centre-back Micky van de Ven, with the Dutchman carrying the armband within the final three video games, an indication of his rising standing within the N17.

That mentioned, the previous Wolfsburg man has endured some robust instances of his personal this season, notably a pink card in opposition to Crystal Palace, and there was speak of a transfer to rivals Liverpool.

If leaving is on the playing cards, De Zerbi might have a alternative for subsequent season. It is a comparatively younger group with few true standout candidates.

The returning Rodrygo Bentancur could also be greatest served by prioritizing his health earlier than taking up obligations, however the identical might apply to the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Lengthy-term absentee Ben Davies is presently out of contract on the finish of the summer time, and though De Zerbi has talked about the potential for Archie Grey turning into the membership’s “future captain”, the younger Englishman is presently not even in Italy’s beginning XI.

Nonetheless solely 20 years outdated, Grey might develop into the function sooner or later, however extra short-term choices might lie elsewhere with the Spurs.

Spurs’ reply to Declan Rice might be their subsequent captain

It’s value noting that after the win in opposition to Igor Tudor’s Atletico Madrid, Duncan Alexander of The Athletic famous that Grey resembled a “younger Declan Rice” following his all-action efficiency that night time.

The previous Leeds United man, who was a shining gentle for a lot of the season, has been out of the image in latest weeks as a brand new midfield pressure emerges within the type of Joao Parinha.

There might have been doubts about whether or not the Portuguese could be a great match for De Zerbi’s progressive strategy, however these have been put to relaxation by the 30-year-old’s largely talismanic performances in latest weeks.

It was Parinha’s close-range effort that sealed the essential first win in opposition to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2026. In the meantime, he produced a very dominant efficiency at Villa Park, after which he was hailed as a “chief” by journalist Henry Winter.

As soon as tipped to be the aforementioned Rice’s successor at West Ham United, the Bayern Munich loanee definitely suits that mould as a towering midfield powerhouse and the pillar in entrance of a again 4.

For instance, in opposition to Aston Villa, he gained 4 out of six floor video games, misplaced the ball solely seven instances, and boasted a passing accuracy of 90%, bringing calm to a chaotic season in N17.

However what actually units him aside is his high quality of profitable the ball, averaging 3.3 tackles per recreation within the Premier League, essentially the most of any participant in his division.

He has additionally scored as many league targets as Rice did for Arsenal (4), however the pair are each nearly like a wall in entrance of the again 4, making it very troublesome to get round them, dribbling by them solely 0.7 and 0.4 instances per recreation on common this season.

Each high group has towering bodily specimens of their midfield, as Mauricio Pochettino did with Moussa Dembele and Mikel Arteta did with Rice, and Parinha might be a central determine in De Zerbi’s personal future.

The previous Marseille supervisor has already spoken of the potential for signing the previous Sporting CP star on a everlasting contract this summer time, with a £21.5 million buyout possibility on the desk, and in addition spoke of the necessity to have very “dependable” gamers within the squad.

As Winter mentioned, Parinha seems like a “chief” in the mean time, and if he stays past this season, there is a good probability the captain’s armband might be his.