Tottenham’s £35m summer signing Mathys Tel has not been included in the club’s Champions League squad in a shock decision.
Tel spent time on loan at Spurs from Bayern Munich last season before Tottenham made the move permanent in the summer transfer window.
The France U21 international is yet to start under Thomas Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou as Spurs head coach in June.
Tel has only played for a total of 19 minutes in the Premier League so far this season across Tottenham’s opening three top-flight matches.
The forward, who can also play as a winger, came off the bench against Burnley and AFC Bournemouth and was an unused substitute in Spurs’ 2-0 win over Manchester City.
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Tel will now not feature in the Champions League for Tottenham after UEFA confirmed the 22-player Spurs A list on Wednesday.
Which other players have Spurs omitted?
Tel is not the only player left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad with Yves Bissouma omitted too.
Bissouma has yet to play this term and has been told that he’s not in Frank’s plans with the 29-year-old midfielder very much up for sale.
Saudi teams can make signings until September 23 despite the Premier League transfer deadline on Monday with Spurs hoping to offload him.
Tottenham’s long-term injury absentees James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin have not been named in the Champions League squad either.
Which players are in Spurs’ Champions League squad?
Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Brandon Austin
Defenders: Kevin Danso, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies
Midfielders: Joao Palhinha, Xavi Simons, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur
Forwards: Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani
‘Mathys Tel is an average player’
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes his former club made a mistake by permanently signing Tel in the summer transfer window.
‘I’ve not been convinced by Mathys Tel,’ O’Hara told Grosvenor Sport. ‘He was a ‘try before you buy’ loan signing and I wouldn’t say he impressed on the pitch.
‘I understand that he’s young but he’s an average player in my estimation. It seems like Tottenham have signed him because he might come good in the future.
‘But is Tel really going to make a difference at Spurs? I’m not sure. [His] price tag [was] no meagre fee either.
‘I’d rather Mikey Moore play ahead of Tel! He’s come through the academy and is a great home-grown talent.
‘Giving Moore the experience of playing in the Premier League would be far more rewarding long-term than Tel. Moore’s got a high ceiling and could be a fantastic player for Spurs in the future.’