Spurs’ Declan Rice should be De Zerbi’s next captain.

Coincidentally or not, Tottenham Hotspur have regained their form under Roberto De Zerbi, while captain Cristian Romero has been forced to watch from the sidelines.

Bizarrely, Brian Brobbey was not punished for his clash with Antonin Kinski against Sunderland, but the World Cup winner was not lost, with the Lilywhites taking seven points from their last three Premier League games.

A monster in his own right, as evidenced by last season’s Europa League final win, Romero has vacillated frustratingly into the realm of responsibility in 2025/26, with his antics both on and off the field often making unwanted headlines.

A summer departure is now a possibility amid growing interest from Atletico Madrid, with some suggesting the 27-year-old has played his final game in north London, increasing the need for a long-term replacement as captain.

Candidates to succeed Romero as Spurs captain

Leading the way in Romero’s absence now is fellow centre-back Micky van de Ven, with the Dutchman wearing the armband in the last three games, a sign of his growing status in the N17.

That said, the former Wolfsburg man has endured some tough times of his own this season, particularly a red card against Crystal Palace, and there has been talk of a move to rivals Liverpool.

If leaving is on the cards, De Zerbi may need a replacement for next season. This is a relatively young team with few true standout candidates.

The returning Rodrygo Bentancur may be best served by prioritizing his fitness before taking on responsibilities, but the same could apply to the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Long-term absentee Ben Davies is currently out of contract at the end of the summer, and although De Zerbi has talked about the possibility of Archie Gray becoming the club’s “future captain”, the young Englishman is currently not even in Italy’s starting XI.

Still only 20 years old, Gray could grow into the role in the future, but more short-term options may lie elsewhere with the Spurs.

Spurs’ answer to Declan Rice could be their next captain

It is worth noting that after the win against Igor Tudor’s Atletico Madrid, Duncan Alexander of The Athletic noted that Gray resembled a “young Declan Rice” following his all-action performance that night.

The former Leeds United man, who was a shining light for much of the season, has been out of the picture in recent weeks as a new midfield force emerges in the form of Joao Parinha.

There may have been doubts about whether the Portuguese would be a good fit for De Zerbi’s progressive approach, but those have been put to rest by the 30-year-old’s mostly talismanic performances in recent weeks.

It was Parinha’s close-range effort that sealed the crucial first win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2026. Meanwhile, he produced a truly dominant performance at Villa Park, after which he was hailed as a “leader” by journalist Henry Winter.

Once tipped to be the aforementioned Rice’s successor at West Ham United, the Bayern Munich loanee certainly fits that mold as a towering midfield powerhouse and the pillar in front of a back four.

For example, against Aston Villa, he won four out of six ground games, lost the ball only seven times, and boasted a passing accuracy of 90%, bringing calm to a chaotic season in N17.

But what really sets him apart is his quality of winning the ball, averaging 3.3 tackles per game in the Premier League, the most of any player in his division.

He has also scored as many league goals as Rice did for Arsenal (four), but the pair are both almost like a wall in front of the back four, making it very difficult to get around them, dribbling through them only 0.7 and 0.4 times per game on average this season.

Every top team has towering physical specimens in their midfield, as Mauricio Pochettino did with Moussa Dembele and Mikel Arteta did with Rice, and Parinha could be a central figure in De Zerbi’s own future.

The former Marseille manager has already spoken of the possibility of signing the former Sporting CP star on a permanent contract this summer, with a £21.5 million buyout option on the table, and also spoke of the need to have very “reliable” players in the squad.

As Winter said, Parinha looks like a “leader” at the moment, and if he stays beyond this season, there’s a good chance the captain’s armband will be his.