Tottenham Hotspur have made a smart move to strengthen their Champions League squad, bringing in young striker Mathys Tel as a replacement for the injured Dominic Solanke.
Manager Thomas Frank has utilised a recently amended UEFA rule that allows clubs to swap players sidelined with long-term injuries.
Why Tel Was Initially Left Out
Mathys Tel didn’t make Spurs’ original squad back in September.
The decision wasn’t about his ability, but rather squad regulations.
With Spurs lacking enough homegrown players, the club couldn’t fill all their spots to the maximum.
Frank also left out a few other injured stars at the time, including James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, Kota Taki, and Yves Bissouma.
Solanke, despite recovering from an ankle injury, was expected to return soon and was included instead.
Solanke’s Setback
Things didn’t go according to plan for Solanke.
His injury required surgery, keeping him out longer than anticipated.
This opened the door for Spurs to activate the UEFA rule change, which allows clubs to replace a player ruled out for more than 60 days due to injury or illness.
The swap had to happen before Spurs’ sixth group stage game, scheduled against Slavia Prague.
Frank Comments on the Decision
On the eve of the Slavia Prague match, Thomas Frank confirmed the decision was under consideration.
“It is definitely some consideration we have,” he said.
“With the players we have available, we want to make sure we have the most possible weapons to fire with.”
Official Squad Update
On Tuesday, Mathys Tel appeared in Spurs’ official UEFA squad list, replacing Solanke.
The club later confirmed the switch.
Unfortunately, this means Solanke will miss the final group stage matches in January against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.
He hasn’t played since a brief substitute appearance against Manchester City in August and has been recovering from a minor ankle procedure carried out on October 1.
Looking Ahead
If Spurs make it past the group stage, there will be another opportunity to make squad adjustments ahead of the Champions League knockout rounds.
For now, all eyes will be on how Tel integrates into the squad and whether he can make an immediate impact.
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