- Tel not included on final list for European campaign
- Admits the decision is tough to take
- Thomas Frank called him to tell him the bad news
Tottenham splashed out£30 million (€35m) to make Tel’s move to the club permanent this summer following a loan spell from Bayern Munich. However, the forward will not be part of Tottenham’s Champions League squad for 2025-26 after being left out by Frank. The new boss was left in a difficult position due to the lack of homegrown squad members in his squad at north London and also omitted injured star James Maddison from his list along with Kota Takai and Yves Bissouma.
Frank did include Randal Kolo Muani, following his deadline-day move from PSG on loan, but subsequently had to break the bad news to Tel. The French star has now revealed the conversation he had with his manager and admits is was painful to hear the news.
He told Le Telegramme: “It’s clear that when you’re not on a list, it definitely hurts, but I’m someone who stays pretty positive, no matter the situation, because I think I’ve worked a lot on the mental aspect, so today it’s definitely a disappointment, I would have liked to be there. But the coach’s choice is the coach’s choice, we can only respect it and we’re going to work to come back in the best possible way.”
Tel was also asked how Frank told him about his omission and added: “Quite simply, with respect. He called me, he simply told me his choice and then you could see the list appear on the networks.”
Tel is currently with the France Under-21 team due to face Serbia on Monday. He will then return to Spurs and look forward to a Premier League clash against West Ham on Saturday. Tottenham’s first Champions League game of the season is against Villarreal on September 16th.
