Tottenham haunted by familiar home-grown issue as Thomas Frank leaves summer signings out of Champions League squad KIK BALL

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed a 22-man squad for their upcoming Champions League league phase campaign, and Thomas Frank has been forced to omit two summer signings from the squad.

The Lilywhites are back at Europe’s top table on account of their Europa League final triumph over Manchester United last term, returning to the UCL for the first time since the 2022-23 season under Antonio Conte.

Spurs will begin their continental campaign against Villarreal on September 16, before also facing Bodo/Glimt (September 30), Monaco (October 22), Copenhagen (November 4), Paris Saint-Germain (November 26), Slavia Prague (December 9), Borussia Dortmund (January 20) and Eintracht Frankfurt (January 28) later in the league phase.

Teams can name 25-strong List A squads for the league phase, but in order to select the maximum allocated number of players, at least eight must be home-grown (or locally-trained) as per UEFA’s rules.

This octet can be made up of club-trained players – who have spent three years at Spurs from the ages of 15 to 21 – and association-trained players – who have represented any English club for three years from 15 to 21 – but Tottenham have had well-documented issues when it comes to either signing or promoting enough home-grown players.

As a result, new signings Mathys Tel and Kota Takai are among those to have failed to make Tottenham’s squad for the league phase, although the latter has been sidelined with a foot injury and is yet to make his competitive Tottenham debut.

In addition, experienced midfielder Yves Bissouma will play no part in the early rounds; the Mali international was heavily linked with an exit from the club during the January transfer window and is out of contract in 2026.

Bissouma did not join another Premier League club before the market closed on Monday, but the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion man could still join a team in the Turkish Super Lig, where the transfer window remains open until September 12.

Frank has also unsurprisingly left out the injured trio of Radu Dragusin, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, all of whom are at varying stages of their recoveries from knee injuries.

Maddison’s ACL issue is likely to keep him sidelined for the entire campaign, while Dragusin and Kulusevski are not anticipated to return until the latter stages of 2025.

Which players have made Tottenham’s Champions League squad?

While Takai and Tel will have to wait a little while longer for Champions League action, Xavi Simons and deadline-day signing Randal Kolo Muani are unsurprisingly part of the selection.

Joao Palhinha, Kevin Danso and Mohammed Kudus will also soon make their UCL debuts for the Lilywhites, whose record signing Dominic Solanke is also in amid his recovery from an ankle injury.

Clubs can name up to three goalkeepers in their A lists, and Frank has understandably selected Brandon Austin over the likes of Bissouma and Tel due to his home-grown status.

Tottenham Champions League squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Vicario, Kinsky, Austin

Defenders: Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies, Spence, Danso, Udogie

Midfielders: Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr, Gray, Bergvall, Simons, Kudus, Johnson, Odobert

Attackers: Kolo Muani, Solanke, Richarlison

ID:580785:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5221: