Tottenham Hotspur will soon begin a first Champions League campaign in three seasons, but there is already a problem with the Tottenham first-team squad. Spurs only have room for 17 non-locally trained players, but there are 21 in the current squad.

It is also necessary for Tottenham to reduce their six association-trained players to four. The two players who are kicked out can only remain in the squad if they are selected in the non-locally trained section of the squad.

Tottenham Hotspur’s current squad

European non-locally trained players (21 currently, 17 maximum): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Joao Palhinha, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Mathys Tel, Kota Takai, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Randal Kolo Muani.

Association-trained players (six currently, four can be used in exclusive slots): Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Archie Gray.

Club-trained players (one currently, four required): Brandon Austin.

Here are the six Tottenham players who we believe should be left out of their UEFA Champions League squad for the league phase of the competition.

Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are the obvious omissions

Tottenham could really do with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. The duo are some of the club’s most creative players, with each bagging three assists in the Europa League last season.

However, neither player is going to be back from injury any time soon, so they are the most obvious picks to remove.

This frees up a spot in both the association-trained and non-locally trained groups, meaning only four match-fit players will fail to make the cut.

Yves Bissouma will not continue his European heroics

Yves Bissouma did his job well last season in the latter stages of the Europa League. However, his time at Tottenham should have been up this summer and with this in mind, he should be the next player left out of the Champions League squad.

Most Tottenham supporters did not expect Bissouma to remain in North London anyway, so his presence would not exactly be missed. Plus, why should Thomas Frank put his trust in a player who missed the UEFA Super Cup as a consequence of his own actions?

Spurs have Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray as defensive midfield options, so there will still be depth in the position.

Spurs should cope without Ben Davies

Tottenham decided to extend the contract of Ben Davies by another year, but surely it would have been better to hold onto Luka Vuskovic instead.

Davies is 32 years old and has never been an established first-team player at Spurs. He is not a bad defender, but he has no outstanding qualities which would be missed.

With Davies out, this would mean Tottenham no longer have too many association-trained players.

There is no room for Kota Takai in the Tottenham squad

Dropping Radu Dragusin could be a consideration after his underwhelming performances under Ange Postecoglou. However, he could come good under Thomas Frank.

Takai is yet to be tested in any European competition and he is still just 20 years of age. It would be better to give him a start in the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup later in the season.

He is the final centre-back who should not be selected, because taking three out would be a huge gamble. With just Davies and Kotai failing to make the squad, Spurs would still have four options at the heart of their defence, with Gray able to step in if multiple defenders picked up injuries.

Wilson Odobert could be Tottenham’s final casualty

Wilson Odobert played well in pre-season and despite this, he is yet to start a competitive game for Spurs since the new campaign began. He always looks bright when he comes off the bench, but it makes sense not to include the young Frenchman in the squad.

With Randal Kolo Muani joining the club, Frank has the flexibility to play Richarlison on the left, who can fight Mathys Tel for a spot in the starting lineup. This allows Brennan Johnson to return to the right wing as a backup option to Mohammed Kudus.

This means that even without Odobert, Spurs still have cover on both flanks. Therefore, while some minutes in the Champions League could be helpful to him, he must be willing to sacrifice his spot in the team for the greater good.

Why not drop Antonin Kinsky?

Another option would be to leave Antonin Kinsky out of the squad. Spurs only need two goalkeepers, and if one of them gets injured, the UEFA rules allow Tottenham to bring him in as an emergency goalkeeper.

However, Tottenham have some favourable fixtures in which Kinsky is likely to start. It would be a shame if he was robbed of this opportunity because of a problem with practicalities.

Ultimately, Kinsky is highly likely to play more minutes than Odobert if he is selected, because Frank will want to see what he can do. Other than the PSG and Borussia Dortmund matches when Guglielmo Vicario will be needed, Kinsky could play up to six times in the league phase, which is more than Odobert would.

READ MORE – Looking at Tottenham’s Premier League fixtures before and after Champions League games