Football London

Thomas Frank has plenty of decisions to make with his Tottenham line-up to face West Ham United on Saturday evening in the Premier League.

Spurs return to action after the international break and that means juggling various players at different stages of fitness with Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison the final ones to return from games in South America that kicked off at 12.30am UK time on Wednesday.

With Tottenham's first Champions League game coming up fast on Tuesday night against Villarreal, Frank will have to decide who can start in both games in quick succession and which players will only be in the starting line-up for one of the games.

Frank also has two new signings available in Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani, who joined the club from RB Leipzig and PSG respectively at the end of the transfer window.

"Both of them are looking good. Both of them are definitely in contention to be ready for the squad. Xavi, for natural reasons, is further down the line. He just started the first game for Holland and played a few games for Leipzig," explained the head coach. "Definitely in terms of Randal, it's been a while since he's played. Last time was in the Club World Cup. Hasn't trained really with PSG. So he is not as fit as Xavi, but he looks good."

If Xavi does come straight into Tottenham's starting line-up to provide some much-needed creativity then one of Bentancur, Joao Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr would have to drop out of the midfield, unless Frank chose to use the 22-year-old Dutchman off the left flank.

There is also a decision to be made at left-back with Djed Spence making his England debut late on in their win in Serbia and Destiny Udogie now back and fit. One will likely start against West Ham and the other in Europe in midweek.

Mohammed Kudus will also make his first trip back to the London Stadium following his £55million move across the capital in the summer.

Here's the Tottenham team that we reckon Frank will select to face the Hammers:

Thomas Frank says he's felt the backing from the powerful Lewis family that owns Tottenham after the shock exit of Daniel Levy.

Staff inside Spurs were left stunned by Levy's departure after 24 years as chairman following a shake-up instigated by the Lewis family, who run ENIC, the company that in turn owns the north London club. The new powers-that-be behind Tottenham are siblings Vivienne and Charles Lewis, the children of former Spurs owner Joe Lewis, alongside Nick Beucher, who is married to Vivienne's daughter Joanna.

Frank was among those left shocked by the departure of Levy but has already felt the backing from the owners, who are expected to invest in the team to help them compete with their big-spending rivals.

"I’ve spoken to a few from the Lewis family and Peter Charrington, the new non-executive chairman. I also spoke to him before, of course he was on the board. So there’s been good, constructive conversations and I feel the backing and they’re happy," said the Dane.

"I think it’s fair to say things have gone quite quickly, so I’m also quite convinced that in the next couple of months I will be more aware of the future plans. Hopefully, we will make them together. I think that’s the best way to do it. Everything I sense, I feel and I’ve been told is positivity and backing."

He added: "It’s very important to be transparent and to be clear, what are we are dealing with, what is the ambition, can we adjust expectations, are we on the same page, what is the strategy, are we aligned, that’s absolutely crucial.

"That was pretty clear since I’ve been appointed and through the transfer window, what are the targets, how did we want to do things, so that’s been good and I expect it to be good. In what direction are we working, are we aligned, what kind of strategy are we following so that should be absolutely clear."

Frank only dealt with Levy for three months before the Premier League's longest-serving chairman departed, with CEO Vinai Venkatesham now the man who will run Tottenham on a day-to-day basis.

"It happened Thursday, I was back on the training ground on Monday, and then we had four training sessions. It was not that Daniel was out there on the training pitch or in the meeting rooms. It is basically business as usual for me, because the transfer window closed when there was a lot of interaction," said the Dane.

"I don’t think it has changed too much for me personally so far so maybe it is too early to ask about that, but of course there are people who have worked with Daniel for so much longer which it is most likely more different for them."

Spurs begin the post-Levy era with a London derby at West Ham on Saturday evening. Frank will be without striker Dominic Solanke, who remains out with an ankle injury, but he will have new signings Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani in line to make their debuts after arriving late in the transfer window.

The match will also bring Mohammed Kudus back to the London Stadium after his £55million move across the capital to the Hammers' rivals with a hostile reception expected for the Ghana international.

West Ham have also said they will ban half-and-half scarves from the match and Frank agrees with that sentiment.

"I guess it’s a little bit odd between two clubs that maybe don’t like each other that much," he said. "They’re probably not selling that many so the one who came up with that idea probably isn't the world’s most wealthy guy!"

Frank has two midfielders who are in the final 10 months of their contracts at Spurs in Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma. The former appears to be a key man under the head coach while the latter could not find a move away during the transfer window as he recovers from a knee injury.

When asked whether he wanted the club to agree a new deal with Bentancur, Frank said: "I think first and foremost, I'm very happy with Rodri. He's been a very good player for us, a top professional in every aspect. I'm happy with him, he's happy with being here. I know that for a fact. Let's see what's going to happen in the future."

Bissouma is still being linked with a move away from the club with some transfer windows open beyond the English one, including the Turkish window which closes tonight (Friday) and the Saudi Pro League one remains open until September 23. However, the Spurs boss does not think there will be any further exits, which means the Mali international will remain part of Tottenham's domestic squad even if he's not been included in the Champions League one.

"I will be surprised if anyone is leaving us now so yes he’s part of the squad," said Frank.

Thomas Frank has provided Tottenham fitness updates on Dominic Solanke, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani before the Premier League clash against West Ham United.

Spurs have already had their fair share of injury blows over the last month, with James Maddison, Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke all suffering muscular issues to join Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin on the injury list. The latter has returned to team training in recent days, however.

Despite being out of action, Kulusevski went away with the Sweden national team for their World Cup qualifiers, where he also discussed his knee injury and admitted he hopes to be back in a few months.

Udogie is the only one of those aforementioned names that featured in the defeat to Bournemouth before the September international break and that is almost guaranteed to be the case again for the trip to West Ham, with Frank confirming Solanke will miss out.

"Everyone returned from international duties well," he admitted in a Friday press conference at Hotspur Way. "Dom will not be available still. Don't expect it to be long but he will not be ready for this game."

Pushed further on the Spurs striker, Frank said: "I think right now we are doing everything we can – the medical team - to get on top of it and that’s what we’re focusing on. I get a feeling he is not too far away, but he’s just fallen short for this week."

Solanke has been dealing with this ankle problem since pre-season, with hope being that he would be available after a further two weeks to recover. The 27-year-old had also posted an Instagram story of himself in the gym and using a squat rack.

Two attackers that could feature at London Stadium are Simons and Kolo Muani, with both arriving late into the summer window from RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, Frank was asked if either could be involved against the Hammers on Saturday.

"Both are looking good. Both are in contention to be ready for the squad tomorrow," he said. "Xavi for the natural reasons is further down the line. He started for the Netherlands the other day. Randal hasn't played for a while, last time was the Club World Cup."

As for West Ham, Graham Potter does not appear to have many injury problems, with George Earthy and Luis Guilherme the only players unavailable prior to the two-week domestic pause. However, Niclas Fullkrug is now an injury doubt following his time away with Germany.

"We've got Niclas, who has had a slight issue with his calf from international duty, so he came [back] early," Potter revealed on Thursday. "He's trained lightly today, so we'll see how he reacts."

Thomas Frank had plenty to discuss at his press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's return to Premier League action at West Ham United.

It has been a drama-packed international break Spurs with Daniel Levy stepping down from his role as executive chairman after 24 years at the top of the north London club as the Lewis family in charge of owners ENIC pushed through plans to modernise the hierarchy. CEO Vinai Venkatesham is the man in charge of that power structure with help from part-time non-executive chairman Peter Charrington.

It was the first press conference for Frank since the transfer window closed with Randal Kolo Muani arriving on loan on deadline day, and the France international plus fellow new recruit Xavi Simons are set to make their debuts at the London Stadium on Saturday.

The Tottenham boss delivered the latest injury news as players returned from international duty as well as an update on Dominic Solanke's ankle problem.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Frank. Here is the full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

How is the squad looking with injuries?

Everyone is fine, everyone returned from international duties well so that's always positive. Very happy about that. Everyone seems to be in a good place. Dom will not be available still, don't expect it to be too long but he will not be available for this game.

What will Daniel's legacy be?

Daniel deserves massive praise. He's been here 24 years, must be one of the longest chairman that has been in the Premier League ever. The things he's built, the success he's been a massive part of, you can't praise that enough. I think the two big, big things is he's actually laid I would say the foundation for the future in terms of this fantastic world-class training centre and of course a world-class stadium. Both those two we are at a top level so we can build from there to hopefully compete with the best clubs in the future. That is Daniel.

Did you say goodbye?

Yes, I've spoken to him. I've only of course known Daniel, but not known Daniel if that makes sense, I've known of him I would say. The last three months is where I've spent more time with him so it's been brief. I've said thank you. I know it's not only him appointing me but he had probably the decisive words so I can only appreciate that in every aspect. I'll always be appreciating of that, very pleased with that. I wish him all the best going forward.

Does talk of takeover moves filter down and unsettle you and players?

I would say as Vinai was saying and quoted from on this going forward, it's not a new ownership, it's the same ownership. It's just the majority shareholders have more influence. They're very committed to the club, they want to build something good for the future. I would say for me the main thing I can do to do my job well is to focus on now and tomorrow against West Ham, huge London derby. That's my main thing. I'm probably also a bit of a problem where I just focus with what is in front of me.

You just mentioned West Ham tomorrow, how excited are you to experience that London derby for the first time as Spurs manager?

Very excited, I know it means a lot for the fans. We will go there and do everything we can to of course try to win the game. I think we're facing a West Ham team which I think maybe didn't have the best start. I think they got a very good win against Nottingham and I think they did well.

I think they've got some top players. I've known Graeme Potter for years and I've followed his fantastic work all the way from Sweden to Swansea to Brighton to Chelsea to now here. So big respect for him and his staff.

I know it will be difficult and I know this game tomorrow will be extremely difficult because no matter if West Ham were top of the league or bottom of the league or middle of the league, this game will just make them raise their level. So I expect an extremely difficult game, but we'll be ready for it and we're ready to attack.

Mohammed Kudus will return to the London Stadium for the first time since making that move from West Ham to Spurs, he said it's just another game for him, how do you think he'll handle that potentially hostile reception and atmosphere tomorrow?

I don't think they will applaud him. Maybe not. I'm pretty sure players and myself included, sometimes you feel the extra tension or extra noise. But then at a certain stage you get into your zone and then you don't really hear it.

I'm pretty sure it's the same for Kudus tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it's the same for all players that are playing in hostile environments. The thing he should do is focus on his game. That's what he can control.

Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani, are they in line to make their debut tomorrow?

Yeah, both of them are looking good. Both of them are definitely in contention to be ready for the squad. Xavi, for natural reasons, is further down the line. He just started the first game for Holland and played a few games for Leipzig. Definitely in terms of Randal, it's been a while since he's played. Last time was in the Club World Cup. Hasn't trained really with PSG. So he is not as fit as Xavi, but he looks good.

With Daniel it seemed to catch everyone by surprise, what does it mean for you and the club going forward when it comes to transfers?

I would say it's nothing that I expected. I don't think anyone expected it. A decision is made. We move forward. I think transfers going forward, of course, need to be, how can you say, not reconstructed, because that's not the right word. It was very clear how the roles were, let's say, for this window. There's somethings Daniel is involved in, something he's not involved in or was involved in. So that just needs to be changed a little bit.

I don't see it as a big thing. Definitely not impacting me too much that we find out what kind of players we'd like to get, and then someone needs to find out to negotiate that.

Does that mean you maybe want a bigger say, possibly, in some of the new targets you'd like to bring in? Is that fair?

No, I don't think that's fair. I think that's quite unfair. I think this window, I only experienced a good collaboration between me, Daniel, Vinai and Johan, where we were agreeing on what kind of targets we went for. So I expect the same going forward.

You left Mathys Tel out of your Champions League squad. You called him, but I was just wondering if you could explain why you'd done it and what you said to him?

Yeah, I think, first of all, that was an extremely difficult decision to make. I also think, in many ways, it was a bit unfair. I also think that the UEFA Champions League lists are not big enough. We know the load on the players is getting bigger and bigger. We have said it many times, we are hopefully playing 60-plus games. That's without international games.

So some of them can be involved in up to 70 games. So I think that we need probably a bigger squad. I can't understand why we need to limit ourselves.

I actually like the idea of the club-trained players. I think it's a good thing, every team needs to develop their own players. So I think that's good. Of course, that limits us a little bit as it stands. Hopefully, we get it after that, but because we had a less number, I had to make a decision now instead of making a decision before a team selection.

Before I name, for example, I name 20 or 23 players tomorrow. For Champions League, you can name even more. So anyway, the squad you're naming before every game, it's, you know, performance, all that. Now I need to name it before I really know Mathys and I think he's done well. I just had to take a tough decision.

I think he's been extremely mature. He's 20-years-old. The way he handled it, the way he trains, everything about him, extremely impressive.

With Xavi and Randal Kolo Muani, they're very versatile players, have you got in your mind yet where you see them performing on the pitch for you more often than not?

I have some ideas. I think it's still a team I'm learning. I get to know better and better. Of course, I have key ideas, but, you know, something is to look from the outside, another thing is to, as I say, feel them. You're around them. You speak to them. You watch them live, training, games. You watch the game back with, like, a very specific view.

And then I have some ideas how I want to do it, and then you get surprised. Okay, that could look good, and other times you need to change a bit. So I learn about the team and the players.

Xavi, I see him mainly as a 10 or a left-sided player or left winger. Whereas Kolo, I see he can him playing as striker and he can play both wings, I would say.

Dominic Solanke, this ankle injury has been going on since the summer, how are you dealing with it and is there the potential to have surgery down the line?

I think right now we are doing everything we can – the medical team - to get on top of it and that’s what we’re focusing on. I get a feeling he is not too far away, but he’s just fallen short for this week.

You said you would name your leadership group after the transfer window, have you?

It’s a big note on my paper and I need to do that. The answer is no. Very honest huh?

How do you reflect on transfer window as a whole now with Kolo Muani coming in on deadline day? Did you want more players?

I would say I am really happy with the squad. I think the club have done a very good job and the club is especially Daniel and Johan. Of course there is Vinai but Daniel and Johan are the two main guys that have been the driver of it. I think actually it is very impressive with what they’ve been doing and how committed they have been to improving the squad. I think it is two big signings Kudus and Xavi Simons, two top players I am convinced will help us massively and then we have two very good loan deals on two other good top players. Yeah, I’m pleased with the squad.

The whole world found out on that Thursday around 6pm that Daniel Levy was leaving – when did you find out? I'm guessing it wasn’t the notification on X?

No, no (smiles). I was of course involved but it was not early, early. It is something between the shareholders and CEO and then they informed us who would take care of the football side of things at the right time.

Is it business as usual as Vinai says? Was he who you dealt with before anyway and how much did you speak with Daniel Levy on a day-to-day basis?

I would say the whole idea of getting Vinai is was to have a day-to-day person to speak to and I speak a lot with Vinai, but he’s like the CEO and then there is Johan, who is the technical director. So, with all due respect, I think I speak more football with him (Lange) which is the way it should be. Then of course because Daniel has been so integral and such a big part of Tottenham, of course it was natural I had conversations with him.

Dele Alli has received a harsh dose of reality regarding his next career move following his most recent disappointment.

The former Tottenham star saw his contract cancelled by Serie A outfit Como at the beginning of September after managing just a single outing. The 29-year-old joined Cesc Fabregas' side in January on an 18-month deal following underwhelming periods with Everton and Besiktas.

However, he received his marching orders fewer than 10 minutes into his debut after being brought on as a substitute during Como's loss away to AC Milan in March. The ex-England international is now searching for a fresh challenge despite previously being regarded as one of the Premier League's most promising young talents.

Dele was linked with three Championship clubs in the immediate wake of his unsuccessful Italian adventure. Wrexham, Birmingham and West Brom were amongst those reportedly keen on acquiring his signature as an unattached player.

But Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has later said he plans to allocate his final squad position to midfielder Ollie Rathbone, who is approaching a comeback from an ankle problem. Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has supported that choice after suggesting that any club signing Dele would be taking an enormous risk.

The former Bradford and Sunderland striker believes he may need to prove his worth during a trial period before another team gambles on him.

"It hasn't really worked out since he left Spurs," Goodman told Betway. He hasn't shown the same quality at Everton, Besiktas, and Como.

"He only played eight minutes for Como last season in Serie A, so it just hasn't happened for him. For me, it's a massive gamble for any club to take on a 29-year-old who has barely played in the past three or four seasons.

"I think it's a tragic story because he's such a talent, and I think the onus is solely on Dele Alli to find himself a club. Whether that means going on trial and taking your chance should it come your way. If I were Dele Alli, I would be happy to do that."

He added: "It's a tricky situation, but if you can get anything like the player that burst on the scene for MK Dons and then Spurs, where he excelled really, I think it's a gamble worth taking. The problem for the clubs linked with him is, you just don't know what he'll be like until he walks through the door."

Swansea were another Championship side also rumoured to be interested in signing Dele. However, the speculation was quickly quashed by manager Alan Sheehan.

"I can rule that out," he said this week. "I haven't heard that one at all right now. We've done our business unless something dramatically changes.

"Obviously Dele Alli is a wonderful player, so I don't want to comment anything on him or where he is, or how he's playing etc. But look, for Swansea City, I would say no right now."

Thomas Frank is holding his press conference on Friday ahead of Tottenham's return to Premier League action at West Ham.

It has been an international break like no other at Spurs due to the big change at the top that took place last week with Daniel Levy leaving his role as executive after 24 years at the helm of the north London club. Now CEO Vinai Venkatesham is the main man in charge with assistance from the part-time non-executive chairman Peter Charrington and backing from the Lewis family to push the club on.

It will also be the first press conference for Frank since the English transfer window closed with Randal Kolo Muani having arrived on deadline day, and the France international plus fellow new recruit Xavi Simons could be in line to make their Tottenham debuts at the London Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Lilywhites boss will deliver the latest injury news after players returned from international duty plus as update on Dominic Solanke's ankle problem, which saw the England international given injections to see whether it settled down during the international break.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Frank. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

Following Cristian Romero's big new contract at Tottenham there are plenty of other player deals that need to be sorted out over the coming months.

Spurs have got themselves into scenarios in recent years where they have either struggled to sell players at the right time or failed to tie down their star names to long-term contracts. They had to sell big names like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min for a fraction of their value as both entered the final year of their deals but managed to tie down Romero to a new four-year contract this summer.

It is a new-look Tottenham now with head coach Thomas Frank at the helm of the team and CEO Vinai Venkatesham in charge of the club, with the backing of the Lewis family, following Daniel Levy's departure after 24 years as executive chairman. Venkatesham has made it clear that there will be extra investment from the powers-that-be to help Spurs compete with their big-spending rivals in the Premier League.

Our Spurs reporter Alasdair Gold was asked a whole load of questions about the club and he did his best to answer as many as possible. Here's the full transcript of that Q&A below.

BradleyHuxter: "Interesting comments from Ange just now about him knowing he would be sacked, even before the Europa League final. How does that line up with the decision taking weeks to be announced after the season had ended and the board seemingly agonising about what to do?"

Alasdair says: "I think there was a general assumption that he would be gone and he probably knew he was likely to but the euphoria around winning the final a first trophy in 17 years changed a lot of the fanbase's view on whether he had earned the chance to continue. Spurs had to pause because of the aesthetics of it all and let the emotions die down a bit."

JoeyG10: "Do you know of any players that Spurs are looking to hand a new contract to? There have been lots of rumours about Bentancur, but that’s gone all quiet, is there anyone else the club is hoping to extend?"

Alasdair says: "I think Rodrigo Bentancur is the obvious one and Thomas Frank really likes the Uruguayan so hopefully that will get done before it gets a bit nervy. A decision will have to be made over Richarlison if he can keep fit for the bulk of this season and then I would imagine it's about rewarding those who have impressed since arriving like Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski."

iandr: "Have you got any idea as to why the Lewis family picked this moment to get more hands on with the club? Feels like there have been plenty of opportunities to push the club forward, before this week."

Alasdair says: "It depends how you look at it. Technically the next generations of the Lewis family have only really been in a more powerful position since 2022 when Joe Lewis, now 88, stepped back as a person of control.

"His children Vivienne and Charles, now in their 60s, alongside Nick Beucher, who is married to Vivienne's daughter Joanna, have been growing in influence behind the scenes through their roles at Tavistock, who own ENIC who in turn own Spurs, to the point that now the family have driven these changes which resulted in Daniel Levy's departure.

"Those close to these later generations of the Lewis family say that they grew frustrated with the lack of success on the pitch and believe that the more modern hierarchy changes they have pushed through after a thorough review will change that.

"For Tottenham supporters, they'll need to know that this is truly something different and not just the same organisation but with different people. The next few transfer windows should give us an answer."

tottenhammakesmecry: "Is there any indication that there is more reorganisation coming in the off the field aspect of Tottenham?"

Alasdair says: "There will be little bits and pieces behind the scenes in various departments and we've seen a new chief marketing officer taken from Arsenal in the shape of Adam Gardiner, but I got the sense that Levy's departure was the final part of the jigsaw.

"I'm interested to see what it all means for Fabio Paratici. The Italian was someone who Levy trusted and new CEO Vinai Venkatesham will want someone with huge football knowledge alongside him as that's what he does, gathers experts in all fields around him.

"It will be fascinating to see whether it's still Paratici, who is believed to work well alongside Johan Lange."

Shuban: "With Russell Martin looking as if he is on borrowed time, do you worry that this could affect Mikey Moore?"

Alasdair says: "Hopefully not. Ashley Phillips played for three different managers at Stoke last season while on loan. If you've got the quality then you'll get in.

hotspur67: "Any news on the leadership group yet please?"

Alasdair says: "I will certainly be asking Thomas Frank about that today at his press conference if we don't hear first in the morning."

Jack00: "I know you've reported on Marc Guehi being a big target for Spurs in the past, do you think there's a chance we'd revisit that in January and try to beat Liverpool to his signature?"

Alasdair says: "I would imagine Spurs will keep an eye on his situation but you'd think Liverpool will be his destination as he'd already agreed to go there."

Annie27: "What do you think all the changes will mean for the women's team? They've often felt like an afterthought - do you think we'll see some decent investment now?"

Alasdair says: "I know Vinai Venkatesham was a big backer of the women's team at Arsenal and that should be the same at Spurs. Martin Ho seems to have made a good impact so far but they do need to strengthen after a relatively quiet transfer window. There was a point made of mentioning the women's team when it came to investment in the CEO's video this week so hopefully that's the case."

tomphillips64: "What are your honest opinions on Tottenham's summer window?"

Alasdair says: "Chaotic with some high profile misses. The club eventually brought in some real quality only to still be lacking in some areas. Key for me was that they made four signings that could all improve the starting XI rather than signing simply youngsters for the future or squad players. That's a big improvement in one respect but we'll find out by Christmas whether it was enough."

tottenhamdre: "When Poch was sacked, there were reports that his bond with Levy remained strong. What’s the sense of things between Ange and Levy post-sacking? Any murmurs about how that relationship stands now? How does it compare with other recent Tottenham managers?"

UEFA has implemented a last-minute alteration to European competition squad regulations just days before the Champions League commences, with neglected Premier League stars poised to reap the rewards.

The continent's flagship tournament gets underway next week featuring a record-breaking six English sides with their improved co-efficient allowing five teams to qualify through their domestic finish. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United have also been joined by Europa League winners Tottenham.

The Gunners will be looking to go one better than last season by reaching the final and they kick off their campaign in Spain against Athletic Bilbao.

World champions Chelsea take on Harry Kane's Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena while Spurs welcome Villarreal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

All of these sides - alongside fellow Champions League representatives Man City, Liverpool and Newcastle, Europa League participants Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, and Conference League entrants Crystal Palace - will now be permitted to alter their registered squads throughout the group stage.

UEFA announced in a statement on Thursday: "The Executive Committee approved an amendment to the 2025/26 UEFA men's club competitions' regulations to admit the temporary replacement of a maximum of one outfield player with long-term injury or illness during the league phase until matchday 6 included."

"The reasoning for the adaptation is to ensure that squad lists are not unfairly reduced and players are safeguarded from additional workload pressure."

Matchday 6 represents the concluding matchday in the initial Conference League league phase, whilst the Champions League and Europa League contest Matchday 7 and 8 of their league phases in the new year.

The specifics of what constitutes a 'long-term injury or illness' remain unclear, but this could potentially allow Chelsea to replace Liam Delap in their Champions League squad following his hamstring injury. New signing Facundo Buononotte may step into the void after expressing disappointment at being left out.

Other high-profile players who failed to make their respective Champions League squads include Liverpool's Federico Chiesa, Tottenham's Mathys Tel and Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus, who is currently nursing an injury.

UEFA has also revealed that Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium will be the venue for the 2027 Champions League final. The last time it hosted the event was in 2019 when Liverpool triumphed over Tottenham 2-0 in an all-Premier League showdown.

Meanwhile, the Women's Champions League final in the same year will take place at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.

Xavi Simons is pushing to make his Tottenham debut in their upcoming Premier League clash against West Ham United. The 22-year-old officially joined Spurs 24 hours before the visit of Bournemouth but was ineligible to feature as he had not been registered in time.

The club's new poster boy - following the departure of Son Heung-min - was instead unveiled in front of roughly 60,000 Tottenham supporters which left him rather emotional. The September international break and a fixture away to West Ham means it has and will continue to be some time before he plays at his new home.

However, he has been getting stuck in at Hotspur Way with his first full training session since joining taking place on Wednesday.

The previous eight days had been spent at Netherlands camp alongside international and new club teammate Micky van de Ven. Simons played 78 minutes of their 1-1 draw against Poland and was an unused substitute for the 3-2 victory over Lithuania.

Missing the latter likely meant he was raring to go at Spurs and minimal recovery was required with a similar scenario playing out for Cristian Romero. He came back to Hotspur Way earlier than expected with suspension meaning he would miss Argentina's second game of the break.

Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison, Brennan Johnson and Djed Spence were among the other Tottenham stars returning to north London over the last 24 hours. The latter was also awarded his first England cap after a bright start to the season at left-back.

Destiny Udogie will be fighting to reclaim that spot with a number of battles elsewhere on the pitch developing. Dominic Solanke and Richarlison look set to compete for the striker spot, assuming the former has overcome an ankle injury that has plagued him since pre-season.

Simons also looks set to be involved in one of those despite the fact he is the only natural No.10 available to Frank. That is because Pape Sarr has been exceptional in the role with his goal-scoring form continuing on international duty.

With limited sessions under Frank, it does seem unlikely Simons will start but he will be given plenty of opportunities. And he seems overjoyed at the decision to join Spurs over the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Following his first full training session, Simons uploaded a collage of photos to his Instagram with most of them showing him in action on the grass. The post was captioned: "happy boyyyy."

Even if he is given reduced minutes on Saturday evening at the London Stadium, a start will not be too far off with Spurs kicking off their Champions League campaign against Villareal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.

Following that, Spurs do not have a free midweek before the October international break with a Carabao Cup and another Champions League fixture on their schedule between games against Brighton, Wolves and Leeds United.

Thomas Frank will be hoping to have a key Tottenham player back in his matchday squad to face West Ham United after seeing a long-term absentee feature in team training for the first time in nearly eight months.

Injuries have already impacted the new Spurs boss, with Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke missing Premier League games after James Maddison underwent surgery on his knee. Minor fitness concerns have also seen summer signing Joao Palhinha handed reduced minutes.

As several injury problems were evident, it was clear that further investment was required, with Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani both arriving in the final few days of the summer window.

The latter remained at Hotspur Way over the international break, while Simons went away alongside Micky van de Ven to represent the Netherlands.

Tottenham's new attacking midfielder only played once, while captain Cristian Romero also missed Argentina's second World Cup qualifier due to suspension. New centre-back Kota Takai is also yet to make his debut as he continues to be plagued by a plantar fascia injury.

One Spurs defender that did not represent his country over the domestic pause was Radu Dragusin. He has been missing with a serious knee injury since mid-January, but he has now returned to full team training ahead of schedule.

Given the length of his absence and the severity of the injury that kept him out, it will likely be a few more weeks before he is back available. Dejan Kulusevski is another that has been forced to miss a significant period because of a knee issue but the man himself has hinted at when he might be back.

Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, he said: "The status is good. The rehab is going well. Every day I wake up with the same hunger and even more hunger with each passing day. I will be on a football pitch in the very, very near future. If everything goes, as it should, as it has so far, I'm very confident that I will be on the pitch in two to three months."

As for those that could immediately return, Yves Bissouma is likely to be back in contention after Frank revealed he wouldn't be out for "that long" at the end of August. Even if he is fit, with speculation still surrounding his future, he may continue to be omitted.

Solanke is another eyeing a return after missing the defeat to Bournemouth before the international break. Just a few days after that, he uploaded a photo on his Instagram story of him in the gym at Hotspur Way and noticeably without any obvious support on his ankle, which suggests he could be back soon.

As for their Saturday teatime opponents, West Ham, Niclas Fullkrug could miss out after Graham Potter revealed why he returned from the Germany camp early.

When asked for an injury update on Thursday, he said: "We've got Niclas, who has had a slight issue with his calf from international duty, so he came [back] early. He's trained lightly today, so we'll see how he reacts." Young midfielder George Earthy also still looks to be dealing with a foot injury, with Luis Guilherme also out.

Other than that, the Hammers have a clean bill of health, with Crysencio Summerville returning off the bench against Nottingham Forest. Deadline day signing Soungoutou Magassa is expected to be available along with Lucas Paqueta after a late move to Aston Villa did not go through.