A Tottenham star is now desperate to leave and is the dream target of one specific club this month after Thomas Frank snubbed the player in what will likely be one of his final acts as Spurs manager before being sacked.
Frank is on perilously thin ice at Tottenham, with David Ornstein confirming over the past 36 hours it’s a matter of “when and not if” the Dane is sacked.
The fans have turned, as have key members of the club’s hierarchy. Frustratingly for Frank, Ornstein also confirmed several Tottenham players have also had enough of the under-fire boss.
Frank will still be in charge for Tottenham’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund tonight, though all bets are off beyond that encounter, especially if they don’t win.
And according to three separate sources, Frank has angered a recent Tottenham signing in the build-up to the Dortmund game.
Speaking on Monday, Frank confirmed Mathys Tel has been left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad for the second half of the season.
Tel was also omitted from Spurs’ squad for the UCL in the first half of the campaign before ultimately earning a reprieve after Dominic Solanke suffered a lengthy injury.
But with Solanke now back to full fitness, he has taken the spot Tel otherwise would have assumed. The decision to snub the £30m summer signing has gone down like a lead balloon with he and his camp.
Taking to X, all three of Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs and Florian Plettenberg confirmed Tel has reacted badly to the omission.
Tel was already weighing up his exit options, with Ligue 1 side Paris FC – not to be confused with PSG – exploring a loan deal. But on the back of the Champions League snub, Tel will now push even harder to leave. He believes that with regular game-time he can make France’s World Cup squad.
Romano wrote: “Tottenham manager Thomas Frank excludes again Mathys Tel from Champions League squad list.
“Frank makes space for Dominic Solanke and the only way was to remove Tel. The French striker and his camp, not happy at all with the decision.”
Jacobs stated: “Mathys Tel omitted from Tottenham’s Champions League squad for second time this season despite starting the last four games under Thomas Frank.
“Tel is understood to be surprised and disheartened. Dominic Solanke comes in to replace him.”
Plettenberg added: “Mathys Tel remain the absolute dream transfer target for Paris FC until Deadline Day. Tel still wants to leave Tottenham, as revealed.
“Edin Dzeko is also on the list, but Tel is internally ranked as the clear number one priority.”
Another reason Tel is believed to want out of Tottenham is the club’s reluctance to play him in his favoured striker position.
In the event, Frank is sacked, the recently-hired John Heitinga would be an obvious choice to assume control in an interim capacity.
Looking further into the future, TEAMtalk understands Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner and Mauricio Pochettino are on Spurs’ radar, though none are likely to be available until the summer.
Tentative approaches to Xabi Alonso who recently left Real Madrid were made, but Alonso has shown little willingness to take charge at Spurs.
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