Tel Left Out Again as Frank's Tottenham Implodes: 'Last Supper' Lunch Signals Manager in Serious Trouble

The plot thickens at Tottenham, and it's getting decidedly unpleasant. Mathys Tel has been axed from the Champions League squad list once again, and the French attacker's camp is absolutely seething about it.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Frank made room for Dominic Solanke by removing Tel from European competition, a decision that has left the striker and his representatives decidedly unhappy. Ben Jacobs added that Tel is "surprised and disheartened" despite having started Spurs' last four matches under the Danish boss.

The timing couldn't be worse for Frank, who's already under the cosh. David Ornstein confirmed on Monday that the manager will take charge for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Dortmund, but the Athletic journalist also made clear this feels less like a reprieve and more like a final exam—describing the German fixture as a must-win and suggesting it's "a matter of when, not if" Frank departs.

To make matters worse, Florian Plettenberg from Sky Germany revealed that Paris FC view Tel as their primary transfer target before the deadline, and the player himself remains keen on an exit from N17.

Frank attempted to project calm ahead of the Dortmund showdown, revealing he'd shared lunch with chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange, and Nick Beucher. The manager seemed almost relieved by the gesture, suggesting it showed confidence rather than concern.

"I haven't heard any situation like that in football where they say 'hey, mate, if you win tomorrow, no problem. If you lose tomorrow, no problem'," Frank explained. "We had a good conversation about life and football, the future of the club, everything normal, like you do. Of course, there's a little bit, how would we say, stormy weather out there. I just think it's an extremely good sign, because normally people are running away if there's bad news or bad weather coming, they're normally not coming in and being friendly for lunch."

John Cross in the Daily Mirror, however, had a rather different take on proceedings—suggesting the training ground lunch probably felt rather more like a last supper for the embattled Spurs manager.