Tottenham Hotspur will return to the Champions League for the first time in three years, qualifying for the competition despite ending the previous campaign in a measly 17th place.

Their Europa League triumph at the end of the 2024/25 season secured automatic qualification to Europe’s most prestigious club competition – with Thomas Frank the man to lead the Lilywhites into clashes against numerous elite-level outfits.

A trip to current defending champions PSG, with the new boss wanting to achieve revenge after falling to a defeat against Luis Enrique’s side in the Super Cup final back in August.

However, the 51-year-old will also be hoping to go one better than Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine leading the club to the final of the Champions League back in 2018/19 – before suffering a defeat to Premier League rivals Liverpool.

With the competition getting underway in less than two weeks’ time, Frank has had to select his 22-man squad – leading to eyebrows being raised around a couple of his selections.

Mathys Tel's exclusion at Tottenham

Despite joining Spurs in a £29m transfer from Bayern Munich this summer, attacker Mathys Tel may find himself on the way out of the club in the not-too-distant future.

The Frenchman made 20 appearances on loan with the Lilywhites last season, subsequently making his transfer permanent during the off-season, adding depth into Frank’s final third.

However, he’s only featured for a total of 19 minutes in the Premier League this campaign, before being left out of the club’s Champions League squad for the group stage.

Such a decision has been the talking point of the fanbase over recent days, leading to questions over his long-term future at the club, with Frank evidently preferring other options in North London.

As a result, his time with the Lilywhites could come to a premature end, but he may not be the only one, with the board also needing to offload another talent in the coming weeks.

The Spurs player whose career looks finished under Frank

A change of management brings about fresh chances and opportunities for players to stake their claim for a first-team place and resurrect their flailing careers.

Djed Spence is arguably one of the biggest success stories after being signed during the Antonio Conte reign, even though the manager himself was known to not want the player.

However, after looking certain to leave, the injury crisis last season gave him a chance to impress, with the 25-year-old now a full England international after receiving a call-up from Thomas Tuchel.

Despite the success stories, other players don’t endure the same fate, as seen with Yves Bissouma, with the Malian international now certain to depart the club in the coming weeks.

The 29-year-old has sadly regressed over the last year, so much so that former pro Adam Alfi described him as a “pub league player”. He still made 44 appearances across all competitions last season, but he’s yet to feature in any competitive outing since Frank took the reins during the off-season.

The Dane stated that the midfielder had been left out of his squad for the Super Cup final clash with PSG due to disciplinary issues, subsequently being left out of every other matchday squad.

Bissouma’s misery has been compounded over recent days, as he’s also been left out of the Champions League squad, just like Tel, leading to rumours over a potential exit from the Lilywhites.

He’s been touted with moves to Turkey and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, potentially securing a permanent transfer away from North London, with their windows still open throughout September.

With just a year left on his current contract, the hierarchy desperately need to facilitate a move for the midfielder as soon as possible to avoid losing him for nothing just a couple of years after paying £35m for his signature.

Games played

28

Goals & assists

2

Pass accuracy

89%

Tackles won

2.1

% of tackles won

63%

Duels won

5.2

Interceptions made

1.2

Recoveries made

5.4

It’s clear Frank is trying to install the right attitude into his squad, something which Bissouma has constantly failed to adhere to – as seen by his recent disciplinary record.

As a result, his spell at the club now appears all but over, with Tel potentially joining him in leaving the club after his own omission from the European squad for the 2025/26 season.