Darren Anderton exclusive: 'Cristian Romero is no leader for Tottenham, but one player is'

Gray, 20, moved from Leeds in 2024 for around £40m and played 28 Premier League games in his first season under Ange Postecoglou, often playing out of position to ease the several injury crises under the Australian boss.Last season, he became a regular midfielder under Thomas Frank, then interim Igor Tudor, starting nine games in a row during the February and March period before losing his place under Roberto De Zerbi.Anderton, speaking exclusively to Standard sport via BestOnlineCasino, said he could “100%” see Gray as a Spurs captain and “loves him as a player”.He continued: “When De Zerbi came in Archie - who's by far and away been the best player for us this season - got cast aside a little bit. Captain material: Archie GrayGetty“So that's a bit worrying for me, because I want him in the team.”Gray saw opportunities limited after De Zerbi’s appointment: he started the Italian’s first game against Sunderland, came off the bench against Brighton, but was an unused sub until the final-day win over Everton, where he featured for just eight minutes.On Gray, Anderton added: “I trust him, I back him, and I think that with the new circumstances next season he's got to be involved in it - and I think he will be.“I could 100 per cent see him being a captain going forward.”Romero, 28, was appointed captain by Thomas Frank last year after Son Heung-Min’s departure, and rewared with a new contract and pay rise at the time.Read MoreUnreliable: Cristian RomeroGettyRomero was pictured at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the day, but Anderton believes the saga did not reflect well on the Argentine:“I don't even know why that ever came out. A) he should never have asked and B) if he did, the manager should have just said, ‘No, f*** off out of my office’.”He added: “It's pure madness. I don't like it. It's interesting that Tottenham isn't actually his priority and that's what shines through. You can't be a captain.”The 30-cap England international also disparaged Romero’s discipline: he has picked up six red cards since his arrival five years ago, including against Manchester United in February, with the score 0-0 at the time. Spurs went on to lose 2-0. On the incident, Anderton said: “We're playing well for 20-25 minutes and then he does something ridiculous again. Stupid tackle and from that point, we're always going to get beat. “So you can't have that from your captain… you look up to your captain to lead by example and he doesn't do that.”