Tottenham have left Mathys Tel out of their Champions League squad once again.
The forward completed a permanent move in the summer, but his role has diminished since then, with just three goals to his name this season. Tel, 20, initially joined Spurs on loan from Bayern Munich in January last year, and speculation is growing that he could be sent out on loan again this month.
His latest omission is likely to intensify those rumours, as head coach Thomas Frank has excluded him from the Champions League squad for the second time, once again opting for Dominic Solanke instead.
If not for Solanke’s ongoing injury problems, Tel may not have featured in Europe at all this season. The Frenchman managed only 32 minutes in the 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague and was absent from Spurs’ other five league-phase matches.
Tel will miss this week’s clash with Borussia Dortmund, while Solanke could be involved after making a substitute appearance against West Ham on Saturday.
Explaining the decision, Frank said: “I made the call, and it wasn’t an easy one. That’s football — sometimes you have to make tough choices. Given the rules, it had to be either Dom or Mathy in the squad, and I went with Dom.
“The frustrating part is that Mathy has actually performed very well in recent games. If I could choose from all the available players, he would start tomorrow. But I could only select one of the two, and that means he’s left out.
“Of course, that’s a difficult situation for Mathy to accept.”
