The internal dynamics at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have taken another complicated turn, as manager Thomas Frank has made the controversial decision to remove Mathys Tel from the club’s Champions League squad.
This move, reported by the French outlet L’Equipe, comes at a time when the young forward’s future in North London was already under significant scrutiny. As the January transfer window enters its final stages, this administrative choice could be the catalyst that finally pushes the former Bayern Munich prodigy toward the exit door.
Understanding why Tel has been sidelined from European competition requires a look into the often-confusing world of UEFA registration rules. Earlier in the season, the young Frenchman was actually omitted from the initial List A registration.
However, a window of opportunity opened when star striker Dominic Solanke suffered a serious injury. According to UEFA’s specific regulations for the league phase, a club is allowed to register one temporary replacement for an outfield player if that player is expected to be sidelined for at least 60 days. Because Solanke’s medical diagnosis met this 60-day threshold, Thomas Frank was able to draft Tel into the squad to fill the void.
The catch with this “60-day rule” is that it is strictly temporary. Once the original player in this case, Solanke is deemed fit and the mandatory 60-day period has elapsed, the club has the right to reinstate them.
With Solanke now back in full training and ready to lead the line, the temporary spot held by Tel has effectively vanished. While the decision may seem like a tactical slight, it is also a byproduct of the rigid quotas that govern European football, specifically regarding locally trained players and the limited number of “List A” slots available to non-homegrown talent.
Despite the technical explanation, the timing for Mathys Tel could not be worse. The youngster has been trying to find his rhythm in the Premier League and even started in the disappointing defeat against West Ham United last weekend.
For a player of his ambition, being told he cannot participate in the upcoming high-profile clash against Borussia Dortmund is a bitter pill to swallow. He has only seen 33 minutes of Champions League action this season, a brief cameo against Slavia Prague back in December, and it now appears that those will be his final moments on the European stage for Spurs this year.
The frustration felt by the Tel camp is understandable. When Tottenham secured his signature from Bayern Munich on a long-term contract running until 2031, he was viewed as a cornerstone of the club’s future.
However, under Thomas Frank, his path to consistent first-team football has been blocked by injuries, tactical shifts, and now, administrative hurdles. For a 20-year-old who needs regular minutes to continue his development, being relegated to domestic-only duties is a significant setback. It sends a message intended or not that he currently sits lower in the pecking order than he might have expected when he first arrived in London.
This development has immediately reignited rumors of a January departure. Throughout the month, several clubs across Europe have been monitoring Tel’s situation, aware that his lack of game time might make him open to a loan or even a permanent move.
By removing him from the European squad, Frank has inadvertently signaled to these interested parties that Tel is a “expendable” asset in the short term. If the goal was to keep the player settled and focused, this decision has likely achieved the opposite, creating a rift that rival clubs will be eager to exploit before the transfer deadline passes.
The situation also highlights the immense pressure currently resting on Thomas Frank. With the team struggling for consistency in the league, every decision he makes regarding squad selection is magnified.
Reinstating Solanke is a logical move given the striker’s importance to the team’s system, but doing so at the expense of a sensitive young talent like Tel carries its own risks. It leaves the squad thinner in terms of attacking variety, especially if Tel decides that his future is better served elsewhere.
As Tottenham prepares for their journey in the Champions League without one of their most exciting young prospects, the fallout from this decision will likely be felt in the boardroom.
The club must now decide if they can afford to lose a player with Tel’s ceiling, or if they need to work behind the scenes to convince him that he still has a major role to play in their long-term project. For now, Mathys Tel finds himself in a difficult position: a permanent member of the Premier League rotation but a ghost in the competition that every young star dreams of winning.
