Two of Tottenham Hotspur’s new signings have been added to their Europa League squad but goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky has been left out.
Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso, signed on loan from Bayern Munich and Lens respectively, have been added alongside Djed Spence, who was excluded from the squad at the start of the competition.
Radu Dragusin has been de-selected after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in Spurs’ final league-phase game against Elfsborg on January 30. Fraser Forster and Timo Werner have also been dropped to make space for the three new additions.
UEFA rules state that teams can make three changes to the squad between the league phase and knockout stage.
The new Europa League format means that there are two league-phase games during the winter transfer window, which meant that Kinsky could not feature for Spurs against Hoffenheim or Elfsborg, despite joining the club on January 5.
The rules caused Tottenham issues with naming their squad earlier this season. Teams can register up to 25 players, eight of which must be “locally trained”, i.e. in England. Four of those must be “club-trained,” meaning a player that has been registered at their current team for three consecutive seasons between the ages of 15 and 21.
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Teams are still allowed to play in the competition without hitting this target, but the squad size is reduced by the amount that a club misses the quota.
After the sale of Oliver Skipp in the summer, backup goalkeepers Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman were the only two club-trained players in the squad, meaning that Spurs could only register a maximum of 23 players for European competition.
Austin, 26, made his Spurs debut earlier this season and has made three appearances (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
This saw Spence and Sergio Reguilon miss out in the league phase and means that Austin and Whiteman have become essential when it comes to naming a squad. Reguilon has again been left out.
Academy graduate Mikey Moore is eligible for the “B List” due to his age and time spent at the club, so he does not need to be registered in the 23-man group. This is also the case for other younger players like Dane Scarlett and Damola Ajayi, who both netted against Elfsborg.
Spence started the season firmly on the fringes of the Tottenham squad. He spent the first half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Leeds United in the Championship but was sent back to Spurs in the January window, before joining Genoa on loan for the rest of the campaign. The Serie A club had an option to buy Spence permanently in the agreement but did not exercise it.
He remained at the club over the summer after impressing in pre-season and scored his first Spurs goal on September 18 against Coventry City in the Carabao Cup.
Spence made his first Tottenham start on December 15 — almost two and a half years after signing — and has become a regular in the team since then, providing cover for the injured Destiny Udogie. He has made 16 appearances in all competitions this season.
Tel joined the club on deadline day from Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, initially on loan though Spurs have an option to buy him in the summer for €55million (£45.7m; $56.9m).
The 19-year-old has scored 16 goals and provided seven assists in 83 appearances for Bayern and became the team’s youngest-ever goalscorer aged 17 in August 2022, breaking the record previously held by Jamal Musiala.
Danso signed for Tottenham on February 2 on loan with an obligation to make the move permanent in the summer. The Austrian had looked all set for Wolverhampton Wanderers and even had a medical booked with the club before pulling out of the move. Danso, 26, is expected to receive considerable game time with Dragusin and Cristian Romero out injured.
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(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
