Thomas Frank’s decision to replace Mathys Tel with Dominic Solanke in Tottenham’s Champions League squad was always going to ruffle a few feathers.
Tel has been one of Spurs’ best performers in a difficult season, winning the trust of Frank and beginning to deliver on the pitch.
No one knows the development Tel has undergone recently better than Frank, and it is why he made a point of saying the decision this week to exclude him from Spurs’ Champions League squad for the second time this season was not one he took lightly.
“I made the decision,” Frank said on Monday. “It was not a nice decision to have to make. Unfortunately, that’s football, you have to make a decision.”
UEFA regulations dictate that Frank could only pick between one of Tel or Solanke following his return from injury, but that does not make the decision any easier for Tel to stomach.
Linked with a January move away as he targets a place in France’s World Cup squad, Tel could now be forgiven for thinking his future was best served away from Spurs.
It is now Frank’s responsibility to convince the 20-year-old, who has three goals in 15 Premier League appearances this season, that he can be a key part of Spurs’ short and long-term ambitions.
Spurs lack options in attack, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus all injured, and even losing Tel on loan would be damaging.
But, in the wider scheme of things, it is more important that Tel understands he is part of the their long-term future.
Spurs’ squad, a mismatch of profiles from various managerial regimes, is in need of an overhaul.
But in Tel, they have a player ready-made to contribute in the here and now, while still having plenty of room to develop.
These are the profiles Spurs need to champion and Frank, who has not been offered any guarantees over his own long-term future, needs to ensure he keeps Tel at the club.
Thrust into the spotlight from an early age, Tel has ambitions of his own and an appreciation of his talents.
In Spurs, though, he has a club that can offer him exposure at the highest level while helping him iron out the inconsistencies that have seen his minutes limited at times under Frank.
