Alderweireld believes Tottenham Hotspur's next captain must be a consistent performer who is committed to staying long-term, rather than someone who merely goes through the motions.

Cristian Romero might leave Tottenham Hotspur, leaving the captain's armband vacant. The World Cup-winning center-back, after five years in North London, has been linked with Serie A giants Inter Milan, and Atlético Madrid have also shown interest. Tottenham Hotspur seems open to offers for the 28-year-old Argentine, who has played 156 games for the club. Romero was appointed captain before the start of the 2025-26 season, but that season saw the team finish 17th in the Premier League for the second consecutive year, and his performance was also subpar. He was criticized upon returning to his home country at the end of the season, though he did return to watch the team's crucial victory against Everton from the stands.

If Romero departs in the summer transfer window, the captain's armband could go to his center-back partner, Van de Ven. When asked by Goal, in collaboration with Hajper, if the Dutchman should take over, Alderweireld said: "Van de Ven, for me, is a good guy, which is important, but a captain must be someone who wants to stay at Tottenham Hotspur. He must make it clear that he will stay here for the next few years and prove to his teammates that he is trustworthy. That's what Tottenham Hotspur needs. We don't need a captain who might be thinking of leaving."

As for whether Maddison and Kulusevski are also candidates, the former Tottenham Hotspur player added: "For me, people often talk about what a captain needs to do, but sometimes there are 'excuse captains' – they just treat being captain as a performance, waving, shouting, and gesticulating everywhere. I think a captain is someone you can rely on for consistent performance, who always delivers a 7 or 8 out of 10 performance, rather than playing a 3 or 4 out of 10 game. How can you guide others if your own performance is also poor?"

"First, no matter what position you play, you need to maintain a good, consistent performance, and then help your teammates. You need to communicate with them, understand them, because the team needs a captain not only on the field but also off it. When I was captain at Antwerp, if a teammate was having a tough time, I would talk to them. That's also why sometimes a captain needs to be of a certain age to have the right perception and judgment of what's happening around them. You need to tell some players not to rush, and if they're not playing, tell them opportunities will come, and they need to train hard to earn those opportunities."

"Being a captain is not just about shouting slogans and showing others, 'Look at me, I'm busy.' You need to perform, you need to help others, even when you're away from the cameras. When you're not in front of the camera, that's when you prove you're a good captain."

Tottenham Hotspur is currently in preseason training and has invested heavily in the summer transfer window, bringing in players like Matheus Fernandes, Tonali, Van Hecke, and Andy Robertson. De Zerbi is about to embark on his first full season coaching Tottenham Hotspur, having previously successfully guided the team to avoid relegation. Tottenham Hotspur will play Brentford on August 22, by which time a new captain may have been officially appointed.

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