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Thomas Frank’s decision to leave Mathys Tel out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad has already sparked discussion – and now the message delivered to the young forward has come to light.
Tottenham Hotspur are back in the UEFA Champions League after two seasons away, and Thomas Frank will be hoping his side can deliver strong performances under the lights in Europe.
Frank has since confirmed his 22-man squad for the Champions League league phase, and while many of the expected names are present, there were a few notable omissions that have drawn attention.
Clubs are usually expected to register 25 players for the competition, yet Tottenham’s lack of club-trained options meant Frank had to submit a reduced squad of 22, which in turn forced him into some difficult decisions.
Thomas Frank leaves Mathys Tel out of Tottenham Champions League squad
Mathys Tel was one of those to miss out, but he was not alone, as injuries to James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Radu Dragusin also ruled them out of selection.
Yves Bissouma was excluded too, with the Mali international’s future at the club uncertain amid talk of a potential sale, while new signing Kota Takai also did not make the cut.
Speaking about Tel’s situation, journalist Graeme Bailey revealed to TBR Football that Frank made sure to explain the decision directly to a disappointed Tel, making it clear that the call was not based on ability.
Bailey said: “In terms of Tel, I am told that he was informed by Frank and was assured it was purely because of the logistics and Spurs losing the three places because of the lack of homegrown players.
“They fully sympathised with him and assured him that it was not a reflection on him, as such, just an issue with them only being able to register less than 20 outfield players.”
Tel could yet be added to the squad should Tottenham reach the knockout stages, although Bailey noted that Kulusevski is likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
He added: “The player is understandably disappointed, but the squad can and will be assessed again heading into the next round, so there is hope for him that he will be involved.”
Why Spurs still believe in 20-year-old Tel
Tottenham invested heavily in Mathys Tel, paying £30 million for the forward when he arrived from Bayern Munich, which shows the faith they have in his long-term potential.
The 20-year-old has not fully settled into life at Spurs yet, as he has had to deal with setbacks both on and off the pitch. He missed a crucial penalty in the UEFA Super Cup shootout against PSG and has only played around 30 minutes of competitive football so far this term.
There is still optimism that he can make his mark before the Champions League knockout rounds, when Tottenham could register him again, but he must improve quickly, particularly as Kulusevski looks to be ahead of him in Frank’s plans.
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