Tottenham's transfer window has come to a close but what does it mean for Thomas Frank's Premier League and Champions League squad
Tottenham's transfer window brought fewer new arrivals than Thomas Frank and the fans had hoped for but the Dane still has decisions to make with his injury-ravaged squad
The only movement on deadline day came with deals in and out for the club's under-21s, leaving Frank's first team squad to battle on without 11 injured players in the weeks and months ahead. Captain Cristian Romero appeared to hit out at that situation in an Instagram post on Monday evening after the window closed, posting within his message: "We only had 11 players available - unbelievable but true and disgraceful."
Tottenham's two transfers in the summer were the £34.7million deal for Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid as well as the £13million signing of Santos left-back Souza. Heading out of the door at Tottenham were Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace in a £35million deal as well as defender Kota Takai on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach.
So what does that all mean for Spurs' Premier League and problematic Champions League squads and what three changes will be made to Frank's final European squad.
Premier League
In the Premier League, a club's Under-21 players do not need to be included on their 25-man squad list yet are eligible to play in the Premier League.
To be considered an Under-21 player for this Premier League season, players must have been born on or after January 1, 2004. That means Souza can join fellow January arrivals James Wilson and Mason Melia as well as Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel on that under-21s list.
Tottenham have one spot free in their non-homegrown player list, because they only have 16 rather than the allowed 17. England international Gallagher replaces Johnson in the homegrown player list, meaning Tottenham still have seven of the eight required.
The Premier League rules state that "a 'Home Grown Player' is a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)."
Kevin Danso qualifies as a homegrown player in Premier League terms because he was in the youth academies at Reading and MK Dons for years before leaving England at the age of 16 and later returning for a season at Southampton.
Here's how the club's Premier League squad looks now:
Premier League non-homegrown players (16 currently, 17 maximum allowed): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Joao Palhinha, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Randal Kolo Muani.
Premier League homegrown players (Seven currently and eight minimum required): Dominic Solanke, Kevin Danso, Brandon Austin, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Djed Spence.
Notable Under-21s players: Souza, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Dane Scarlett, Mason Melia, James Wilson.
Champions League
The Champions League squad is where it all goes pear-shaped and Frank is going to have to make decisions here for the last 16 where Spurs will face one of Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Galatasary or Club Brugge.
The main differences between the European and domestic squads are that with UEFA to go on the U21s list you need to have been at the club for two seasons and also the homegrown section falls into two very different categories.
First off, UEFA's rules say that no club can have more than 25 players on their A-List during the season, of whom at least two must be goalkeepers.
The rules then state that "as a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among those eight places. If a club have fewer than eight locally-trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly".
There are two different types of locally-trained player. One is a 'club-trained player', those who have been on a club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. The other is an 'association-trained player', those who were on another club's books in the same association for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21.
So while Danso is homegrown in the Premier League, he will not, like Gallagher, fit into that association-trained category in Europe because he left England at the age of 16.
Now for the problematic registration of new young players. In Europe, there is a B-List for players born on, or after, January 1, 2004 but they must have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday – or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be submitted if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.
So what all of that means is that Spurs' Champions League squad is bloated and spilling over in both non-locally trained spots and association trained ones, while having only one club-trained player in goalkeeper Brandon Austin.
As they need to register four in that club-trained category, Tottenham are required to leave three spots open, meaning what should be a 25-man squad instead shrinks to just a 22-man one.
While Gallagher is a straight swap for Johnson in the association-trained category, Souza replaces Takai in the non-locally trained department. The problem is that Spurs have 21 players to fit into 17 non-locally trained spots and six association-trained players for four spots. Any association-trained players over the four allocated spots need to be fitted into the main group.
The simplest way to look at it is that with the two new signings and two departures, Spurs have 27 senior players to fit into just 21 spots, keeping Austin aside.
Mathys Tel replaced the injured Dominic Solanke in the Champions League squad for one game last month before the fit-again striker took his place back.
Now Frank must decide if Tel or others come into the squad for the last 16. Tottenham can make three changes to their squad ahead of the knockout phase, submitting their list by 11pm this Thursday, February 5.
The rules changed a couple of years ago to ensure you can add players who have already played in the group stages in any European competition so Gallagher can be added.
Frank must decide which of his long-term injured players are worth taking out because they will miss the last 16 and potentially further rounds, or whether they could just be too vital if Spurs were to progress.
With the last 16 in March, the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies and potentially Lucas Bergvall could all miss those ties as could James Maddison as he continues his rehab after his ACL injury. There is still no return date for Dejan Kulusevski but Spurs will be hoping he is back before then, while Kevin Danso's snapped big toe ligament could keep him out for a while.
Also what of players who were previously not registered but become important again like Yves Bissouma or Radu Dragusin, while Tel and Souza will want to take part.
Remember six players cannot be registered from the group of 27 and it's unlikely Melia or Wilson take the place of a senior player so we're not including them in that number.
Here's how it all looks with the Champions League squad and Frank must decide what three changes he will make, if he uses them all:
European non-locally trained players (21 currently, 17 maximum): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Souza, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Joao Palhinha, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Randal Kolo Muani.
Association trained players (six currently, only four can be used in exclusive slots): Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Djed Spence, Archie Gray.