Tottenham: Kevin Danso ready for any Europa League final role as he hopes to emulate 'great' Spurs teammates

Yahoo

13-05-2025

Tottenham centre-half Kevin Danso says he is ready to play any role asked of him in the Europa League Final and has revealed he is working to emulate teammates Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
Danso, who joined Spurs on loan with an obligation from Lens in January, has slipped down the pecking order since Romero and van de Ven returned to fitness in March but continued to feature regularly in the Premier League as the club prioritises progress in Europe.
The Austrian international played an important role in the backs-to-the-wall win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-final decider, coming off the bench late on as Spurs clung on to a 1-0 lead.
As it stands, Danso is unlikely to start against Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21 but says he is ready to help the team to a first trophy in 17 years.
"I'm very ready," he said. "You don't know how many opportunities you're going to get to play in a final and here I am, four months here and there's already a final. So whatever happens, I'm ready.
"Whatever my role is, I'll just be supporting the team 100 per cent and doing my best in whatever that role is.
"You've always got to be ready. You never know what's going to happen and the manager's always talking to us about taking our opportunities when they come.
"And whatever that opportunity is, 90 minutes on the bench or starting the game or coming on and doing a job, that's exactly what I'm going to do and do it to the best of my ability."
You don't know how many opportunities you're going to get to play in a final and here I am, four months here and there's already a final
Kevin Danso
Romero captained Spurs in both legs of the semi-final against Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt and could wear the armband again against United if Heung-min Son, who has just recovered from a niggling foot injury, is not named in the XI.
The Argentine has a reputation as a fiery character on the pitch, prone to hot-headedness, but Danso believes he is misunderstood and is an admirer of both Spurs' first choice centre-halves.
"He's definitely world class," Danso said of Romero. "From the outside looking in, you'd think he's very aggressive but he's one of the calmest guys in the changing room.
"Everybody at the club and anybody who watches football knows he's a brilliant passer and a great defender. I feel like a defender needs that [aggressive] side to him to give the strikers a bit of fear, [thinking], 'Oh, he could come in at any time'.
"He's a great talent, a great player. So is Micky. So is everybody at this club, or they wouldn't be here.
"He [Romero] is not the most vocal [captain]. That's why I said he's one of the calmest guys.
"There's different kinds of leadership and he leads by examnple by the way he plays. Some are more vocal and some just lead by example and that's ecactly what he does.
"He's a world class player, he's won trophies, he brings that experience and he knows what to do in finals. In big games, he's always there."
Asked if he could learn from Romero, Danso added: "100 per cent. His calmness, his passing range. There's players all over in my position I look to emulate and take things from their game and add to my game. I want to be as complete as possible.
"Micky obviously [is another one] with the way he reads the ball and defending the challenges with his pace. Players like Sergio Ramos, van Dijk...the list is endless. You watch defenders at the highest level and try to add what they do to your game."