Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League squad has been announced, and Mathys Tel has been omitted. Other notable absentees include Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin. Manager Thomas Frank had to exclude six players to comply with Uefa regulations. James Maddison is out injured, and Yves Bissouma is linked with a move to Turkey. Randal Kolo Muani’s arrival seems to have cost Tel his place in the squad.
Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League squad announcement has sent shockwaves through the club and its fanbase. Manager Thomas Frank has made the difficult decision to exclude £30 million signing Mathys Tel from the squad for the league phase of the competition. The young winger's omission is particularly surprising, given his arrival at the club on a permanent deal just this summer.
Tel isn't the only notable absentee. Key players Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin have also been left out, despite hopes that they could recover from long-term injuries in time to feature in the latter stages of the tournament. This indicates the severity of their current conditions and raises concerns about their immediate future at the club.
The Spurs boss was faced with a selection dilemma due to Uefa's stringent regulations. The rules stipulate a specific quota for homegrown players within the squad, and Tottenham's squad composition simply didn't align with these requirements. Frank was forced to make the unenviable choice of excluding six players from his 25-man 'A' list.
Adding to the selection woes, James Maddison will be unavailable for the entirety of the league phase due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. New signing Kota Takai also misses out, alongside Yves Bissouma, who has fallen out of favour and is reportedly linked with a move to Turkey, with the transfer window there remaining open until Friday of next week. This potential departure would further deplete Tottenham's squad options.
The conversation with Tel must have been particularly challenging for Frank. The 20-year-old joined Spurs from Bayern Munich in January, initially on loan for a fee of £8.7 million. The club then invested a further £30 million to secure his permanent signature during the summer transfer window. To be excluded from the Champions League squad after such a significant investment is a bitter blow for the young player.
Tel's exclusion appears to be a direct consequence of the deadline-day loan signing of Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain. Muani, another non-locally trained player, has been included in the squad, effectively taking Tel's place. This highlights the difficult choices managers face when balancing squad composition with financial constraints and player availability.
Kulusevski's expected absence until the new year, following knee surgery in mid-May, is a significant setback for Tottenham. Despite The Guardian reporting his expected return timeframe last month, Kulusevski has posted a video of himself training vigorously on an exercise bike, accompanied by the caption: "Your favourite player’s soon back." This suggests a determination to return to action sooner than anticipated.
Tottenham's Champions League schedule includes a home game against Slavia Prague on December 9, followed by matches against Borussia Dortmund (home) and Eintracht Frankfurt (away) on January 20 and 28, respectively. Dragusin, who ruptured his ACL at the end of January, is expected to be sidelined for several more months, further limiting Frank's defensive options.
Ultimately, Frank's decisions reflect the harsh realities of managing a top club in European competition. Balancing squad depth, Uefa regulations, and player fitness is a constant challenge, and difficult choices must be made. The exclusion of Tel, Kulusevski and Dragusin is a clear indication of the tough decisions facing the Tottenham manager as he navigates the Champions League campaign.