Thomas Frank was always going to have difficult decisions to make.
Uefa’s stringent squad registration rules have posed problems for Tottenham before and have done so again as Champions League nights return to N17.
In recent years, Spurs have struggled to fill their “locally trained player” quota in European competition.
Uefa’s 25-player squad list requires four to be “locally trained”, meaning they must have spent a minimum of three years at the club between the ages of 15 and 21. There is a separate B list for players U21 who have spent two uninterrupted years at the same club.
In theory, this is to boost homegrown representation, which has become trickier in the PSR age. Harry Kane, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga have filled locally trained slots in Spurs’ squad in the past.
This time there is only one: third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin. Consequently, that has shrunk Spurs’ squad size down to 22, leading to six first-team players being omitted by the new manager.
James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are out due to long-term injury, as is Radu Dragusin. Yves Bissouma is another absentee amid links to Turkey where the transfer window is still open. Kota Takai hasn’t played for the club yet and is viewed as a prospect for the future.
Tel cost Spurs £30m after his loan (Photo: Getty)Which leaves the sixth exile: Mathys Tel.
Tel’s non-selection was by far the most debatable call and one that, at least according to social media, has split Spurs fans.
It caused a stir, mainly because Tel, at £30m, was the third-most expensive signing Spurs made this summer, behind Mohammed Kudus (£55m) and Xavi Simons (£51.8m).
Tel spent the second half of last season on loan from Bayern Munich, but there was no obligation for the north London club to buy him.
He may have played under Ange Postecoglou in that time, but Frank was confirmed as the Australian’s successor three days before Spurs bought Tel outright.
Tel surely wouldn’t have joined without Frank’s approval and the Dane said he was “very, very excited” about his potential after the deal was confirmed.
Since then, though, Tel has struggled to make a mark under his new manager, featuring in three of Spurs’ four games but only for a total of 30 minutes.
Tel faces further competition following the signings of Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani. Simons can operate on the left flank, where Tel has predominantly been utilised at Spurs, while Muani is a centre-forward by trade, the position Tel is expected to end up in.
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Even with Maddison and Kulusevski sidelined, Frank had abundant attacking talent to pick from. As well as the new recruits, wingers Brennan Johnson, Kudus and Wilson Odobert have been selected, along with centre-forwards Dominic Solanke and Richarlison.
Tel’s France U21 teammate Odobert likely snuck into the final attacking slot ahead of him. The 20-year-old has also only shown flashes of his ability in a Spurs shirt, but seems to be more favoured by Frank so far, playing twice as many minutes as Tel.
With the attack well-stocked, picking Tel would have meant leaving other areas short. Antonin Kinsky was excluded from the Europa League last season, but is a credible challenger to Guglielmo Vicario in goal. Ben Davies covers the left side of defence, an area where Spurs are short. Archie Gray is too versatile to leave out.
Nevertheless, it is a huge blow for Tel, of whom a great deal was expected when he arrived in February, initially on loan. Spurs’ capture of him was viewed as a coup, given his reputation as one of Europe’s most promising young forwards and interest from Manchester United.
However, he has struggled to match expectations so far, contributing two goals (one a penalty) and an assist in 22 appearances.
He is bound to be disappointed, and it’s hard not to feel sorry for him. In the space of eight months, he has gone from being considered a potential Spurs saviour amidst a crippling injury crisis to a spare part.
This snub, while it will sting, need not spell the beginning of the end of his Spurs career, however.
This time last year, Djed Spence was in precisely the same position after being left out of Postecoglou’s Europa League squad. The full-back bounced back, played his way into the team and was drafted in for the second half of the season, earning a winners’ medal at the end of it.
Frank will hope his decision can galvanise Tel as it did Spence. Maybe this will be the turning point of his Spurs career too.
Spurs supporters have taken to the Frenchman too his limited returns. He was praised for speaking to irate, travelling fans after a defeat to Fulham in March, and was given a standing ovation during the win over Burnley last month, days after being racially abused for missing a penalty against PSG.
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He will have fewer opportunities to prove himslef without midweek matches in Europe, though.
In fairness, this predicament is far from exclusive to Spurs. Liverpool left Federico Chiesa out of their squad, Chelsea omitted Facundo Buonanotte and Nottingham Forest failed to find room for their new club-record signing Omari Hutchinson.
Premier League clubs could avoid this mess by not stockpiling players they don’t need and trying harder to build a pathway from academy to first team.
Spurs’ situation should improve next year (assuming they qualify for European football), when Gray and Lucas Bergvall can be included on the B list. Should the pair remain at the club for another season, they will be regarded as club-trained on the A list, having both joined aged 18.
For now, though, Tel’s absence makes Spurs’ summer recruitment appear muddled. How can a player be deemed essential in June be expendable by September?
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