Cristian Romero has told Sky Sports he has already noticed how Nuno Espirito Santo instils a calming presence in the dressing room since joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
The Argentine joined Spurs on loan from Atalanta in August in a season-long deal featuring a £47m option to buy. He is yet to fully established a key role in north London under Nuno, who also moved to the capital this summer after leaving Wolves at the end of last season.
Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy hired Nuno in June to end a two-month search for Jose Mourinho’s permanent replacement. The Portuguese enjoyed a positive start with three wins in Spurs’ opening three Premier League games, but has struggled since.
Nuno has only overseen two wins in Tottenham’s last six top-flight fixtures to four defeats. Each loss also coming against London rivals Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham. While also conceding 10 goals over those clashes, to one scored at the Emirates.
Doubts have arisen over Nuno’s suitability for the position long-term at Spurs, who host Manchester United on Saturday. But Romero feels he offers a positive influence in the dressing room, despite their short spells at Tottenham so far.
“From my time working under Nuno, I’ve already learned he’s a very calm manager,” Romero said. “He brings a lot of calmness to the dressing room, given we’ve only had a short time working together as a group.
“There’s no real need to panic given we’re inside the top-six positions in the league and it’s very tight from fourth place downwards. We’re focused on giving the best version of ourselves as we know with clear heads, we can bring back a positive momentum.”
Is Nuno the right manager for Tottenham?
Nuno has now overseen 16 games as Tottenham manager in all competitions, with Romero featuring in 10. Spurs have won nine of their fixtures with the £146k-a-week coach at the helm, scoring 25 goals to 22 conceded. They have also lost twice outside of the top-flight.
His record stacks up comparably with his predecessor and compatriot, Mourinho. The now Roma boss won 45 of 86 games in charge, with Spurs scoring 173 to 110 goals conceded. While boasting a 1.64 points-per-game record in the Premier League to Nuno’s 1.67 so far.
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