Thomas Frank is not long into his Tottenham reign, but he is already having to make some tough decisions.
So far, Frank has had the opportunity to watch his Spurs team in three Premier League matches to help him make up his mind.
As expected, Yves Bissouma has been omitted from the Champions League squad, but he is not the only big name to be left out.
Indeed, the Dane has opted to go without a player, who many thought would be given the nod.
Mathys Tel among absentees from Champions League squad
Tottenham have already learned their Champions League fate, having been handed a favourable draw for the league phase.
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The Lilywhites will face eight sides as they strive to reach the knockout phase, including Borussia Dortmund, PSG, and Villarreal.
Frank’s men will kick off their European venture with a home clash against Dortmund, whom they played six times between 2016 and 2019.
However, Spurs have decided not to include Tel in their Champions League squad, as reported by Fabrizio Romano on 3 September.
He is not the only significant name to be left out, with Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison also omitted
Of course, Dragusin, Kulusevski, and Maddison face lengthy spells out with injury, so their absences were expected.
Why Mathys Tel was called ‘exquisite’ for Tottenham
Tel joined the North London club on a short-term loan in February before making his move permanent in the summer.
While he played under Ange Postecoglou, the forward made a positive impression in the FA Cup.
Although they were knocked out of the fourth round of the competition by Aston Villa, Tel came in for substantial praise.
“I just want to mention, we’ve flipped back to Spurs briefly, I thought Tel showed a couple of nice bits, and that was an exquisite finish,” Gary Lineker on the Rest Is Football podcast in February.
“That was a great cross that Kulusevski put in. And he did really well, Tel, to get on the end of it. And there’s a really clever finish,” Alan Shearer replied.
“So hopefully that’ll give him a bit of confidence and belief that he sort of belongs there, and he can help Spurs get through this period.”
While that goal may have given Tel some belief that he belongs in North London, he is unlikely to feel that way now.
However, the Frenchman must focus on his game, and when opportunities come his way, he simply must take them.