Opinion: Who should be the next Tottenham Hotspur captain?

 

Thomas Frank will have a selection headache when it comes to deciding his new captain

Thomas Frank has had quite the first month as Tottenham manager.

Two signings have been made already in the shape of Ghanaian winger Mohammad Kudus and Portuguese defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha from West Ham and Bayern Munich respectively, as well as making Mathys Tel’s loan move permanent from Bayern.

Several youth players have been allowed to leave on loan and, last night, Tottenham officially announced the departure of club captain Heung-min Son to LAFC after a decade in North London.

Joint-vice captain, James Maddison, pulled up injured shortly after coming on in pre-season against Newcastle United, and it has been confirmed by the club that he has suffered a ruptured ACL – the timescale of absence is usually between 6-12 months.

This has left Thomas Frank with a headache as he prepares to name the new official Tottenham Hotspur club captain before the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Here are five potential candidates that Thomas Frank should be considering…

 

1.   Cristian Romero

 

Cristian Romero captained Tottenham at the start of the 2025 Europa League final

The most logical candidate at the moment is Cristian Romero, who looks set to stay in N17 despite reports linking him with Atletico Madrid.

Appointed vice-captain alongside Maddison by Ange Postecoglou in 2023, this will be Romero’s fifth season at Spurs, so there is no doubt that he is familiar with the demands and expectations of the supporters.

Romero has captained the side on 18 occasions in the past two seasons when Son has been unavailable, with Spurs winning nine of those games, drawing three and losing six. Crucially though, one of those victories was when he started with the armband in the Europa League final triumph over Manchester United in Bilbao in May, before handing the captaincy over when Son was substituted on.

There is a growing need for Romero to commit his future to the club, given that he only has two years left on his current contract, and being appointed captain will be a true statement that his heart lies with Spurs – at least for the season ahead.

 

2.     Guglielmo Vicario

 

Guglielmo Vicario famously finished the 4-0 win at Man City with the armband

Another real viable candidate for the captaincy, Guglielmo Vicario is entering his third season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Despite not being on the official captaincy list, Vicario wore the armband for Spurs on three occasions last season, including taking the role at the Etihad in November when Son and Maddison were substituted off during the 4-0 victory.

A well-liked player among players, staff and fans, it will surely be a popular choice if Frank gives the captaincy to the 28-year-old Italian. Could Vicario follow previous number 1 goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in captaining the club?

 

3.     Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski has captained Tottenham on one previous occasion

 

Maybe a surprising candidate, especially given that he is injured at the moment, but Dejan Kulusevski was arguably the most popular player among Spurs fans during a dismal league campaign last season.

Reinventing himself as a workhorse in the centre of midfield, the Swede picked up 10 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, but suffered injury towards the end of the campaign meaning he missed the victory in Bilbao.

Kulusevski, now entering his fourth full season at the club, has actually captained the Swedish national team on several occasions in recent times, first wearing the armband for the Blågult in the UEFA Nations League in September, and captained Spurs in the 2-1 loss against Newcastle in January.

Clearly a popular player, don’t be surprised if Frank names Kulusevski as one of his vice-captains at least.

 

4   Ben Davies

 

Ben Davies is no stranger to captaincy for club and country

He is by far the longest-serving Spurs player in Frank’s squad, and is now the oldest player at 32, but Ben Davies could be a realistic option.

He is no stranger to wearing the armband, first captaining Spurs under Mauricio Pochettino in 2019 and wearing the armband a total of 11 times. Astonishingly, Tottenham have never lost a 90-minute match where Ben Davies has started as captain.

Additionally, he has captained Wales on a number of occasions, starting with the 2024 Euros Qualifiers.

Given that Frank tends to switch his formation at times and play a 5 at the back system, Ben Davies would slot in seamlessly at left centre-back so he may end up playing more minutes this season for Spurs, after being used to being a squad player in the last few seasons.

Enough game time to become permanent captain? Possibly not, but maybe a vice-captain.

 

5.     Micky van de Ven

 

Could Micky van de Ven be a surprising pick for captain?

Maybe a contentious idea for captain, given that Micky van de Ven has never captained a side in his life and is only entering his third season at the club (though it feels like he’s been there much longer).

Why van de Ven?

Firstly, he is admired by the supporters – it will be a surprising yet popular choice. He has endeared himself to the N17 faithful since his arrival with some stellar performances, and that goal-line clearance in Bilbao will live long in the memory of every fan who watched it live.

Every team needs a commanding centre-back duo – Spurs have van de Ven and Romero – and given his popularity among his team-mates, Frank could do a lot worse than give van de Ven a chance at captain.

Though a potential downside could be his injury proneness – he made just 13 starts in the Premier League last season, and Spurs looked significantly weaker without him. If he can stay injury-free – all the more likely now he doesn’t have to deal with Postecoglou’s intense demands – he could be a viable option for Frank.