‘It definitely hurts’ – Tottenham star opens up on Thomas Frank phone call amid major development
Thomas Frank has already faced a fairly turbulent start to his Tottenham reign.
The Dane arrived back in June to pick up the pieces after Ange Postecoglou’s departure, and the early stages of his new job have not gone as he would have expected.
Daniel Levy’s Tottenham departure has already seen the former Brentford boss lose the chairman who brought him to the club, with speculation now rife regarding the status of the hierarchy above him.
Frank has also faced many key decisions of his own already, and the latest has caused plenty of controversy in the last few days.
Thomas Frank ‘very respectful’ in Mathys Tel conversation
Mathys Tel’s future at Tottenham has been called into question from several quarters in the last few days after the attacker was left out of the squad for the Champions League.
The Lilywhites were only able to name a 22-man squad for the league phase of the competition, due to their lack of club-trained players, and the Frenchman was among the group of senior players who missed out as a result.
The 20-year-old is yet to make a competitive start under Frank, and his omission from the Champions League squad has since prompted speculation that his time in N17 could be drawing to a close imminently, despite it being a matter of months since Spurs signed him.
Tel has now spoken out about his omission from the squad, and he has revealed that his manager broke the news to him over the phone, while adding that he intends to continue to fight for his place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Frank called me, very respectful, he simply told me his choice,” he told French outlet Le Telegramme.
“It definitely hurts, but I’m someone who stays pretty positive. I am a Tottenham player, so I will do my best to be able to play.”
Mathys Tel deserves praise for his attitude at Tottenham
Frank’s decision to omit Tel may be perceived as a harsh one by some people, but the boss was ultimately left in a position where he could not select every member of his first-team squad.
However, while actions speak louder than words in these situations, the youngster certainly deserves to be praised for his outlook on the situation.
The summer transfer window was dominated by talk of the likes of Alexander Isak refusing to play in order to force a move, but instead, it looks as though Tel is happy to knuckle down and try to prove his manager wrong.
Ultimately, only time will tell whether he is capable of doing that, but he has certainly displayed the kind of attitude that Frank will be pleased to have seen from one of the younger players in his group.
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