Despite being officially registered to play in the UEFA Super Cup Final, Yves Bissouma has been left in North London. He will not be involved, with Head Coach Thomas Frank citing "disciplinary reasons" as the issue.
"He's been late several times, and now this time, the latest time was one too many. With everything you need to give your players a lot of love. There needs to be demands and consequences, and this time there was a consequence."
The Malian's future in North London is currently unclear. After Tottenham Hotspur completed the loan signing of Joao Palhinha, and with Frank favouring the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr, it seems his days may be numbered, especially after another bout of ill-discipline.
In what was his first pre-match press conference for a competitive game, the Dane also confirmed that striker Dominic Solanke is back from injury and available for selection - the Englishman hasn't featured since a 2-0 win over Reading in pre-season on 19th July.
-
Frank "excited" by trophy opportunity
It may be his first competitive game in charge, but the former Brentford Head Coach has the chance to seal a second major trophy for the club in the space of three months, having failed to taste silverware for a measly seventeen years before that win in Bilbao.
"I think for the club, for the team, for me, for everybody involved at Tottenham Hotspur, it's a massive game. A great challenge and an even bigger opportunity. That's how my brain works, I see opportunities instead of pressure or whatever. So for me, massive opportunity and we will definitely embrace it and we will do everything."
It will be the first time Frank takes charge of a side in a major final, although he did manage to secure promotion with The Bees in 2021 via the Championship Play-Offs. He also believes now is the "perfect" time for this clash against a European powerhouse to take place.
"The right time is now so we need to be ready. I can't postpone it for six weeks unless you have a plan for that. For me, now is the right time, we're ready.
"It's fair to say they are probably a little bit further down the line in terms of their highest performance level. I am 100 per cent sure it will be super competitive tomorrow in the game but overall of course over a whole season their best players performed better. But in one game, we will be ready."
-
Romero to be key
A crucial player in the Europa League triumph in May, Cristian Romero is set to be just as important for The Lilywhites as they go up against one of the best attacks in the world, boasting the quality of Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue.
It's rather ironic that at separate points throughout their careers, all three have been linked with moves to North London - now, they go up against Tottenham in what is just the second-ever meeting between the two sides.
One of the men who will need to be at their best to stop the trio is Cristian Romero, who boasts a wealth of experience in finals, having won the FIFA World Cup, Copa America, and UEFA-CONMEBOL Finalissima with the Argentinian National Team, as well as producing a Player of the Match display in Bilbao three months ago.
"Cristian Romero is going to be a very, very big, an important player for us tomorrow. He's a player that has been in big finals and won them. So he definitely knows how we do that and that'll be a big help.
"I think it's very important that these players, of course, just like the PSG players, but just, you know, my players, our players, they just won a big trophy six or seven weeks ago, so they had a fantastic experience of doing that, and they want to win more.
"It was a great feeling, everything I heard about it, everything I've seen, fantastic experience. So the players will be ready, but of course, Romero would be crucial."
The defender, who is set to stay in N17 after he was linked with a move away earlier in the summer, is one of the favourites to be appointed as captain under Frank, who confirmed that his new captain for the season will be announced when the squads are confirmed around 90 minutes before kick off on Wednesday.
He also confirmed that the remainder of the leadership squad will be announced later this month.
-
Remaining tight-lipped
With the rumour mill swirling, Thomas Frank refused to be drawn into commenting on players from other teams.
In the past 24 hours, news surrounding moves for both Savinho from Manchester City and Ebere Eze from Crystal Palace have flooded social media, with Tottenham looking to add further reinforcements after the departure of Heung-Min Son and long-term injury to James Maddison.
Frank: "There are a lot of good players out there, there are also a few from the PSG team but I don't think we can buy them right now. In general, players in and players out, I'm only speaking if something is done or not done. I speak only about my own players."
It is well-known that the club have followed Eze for a while now, dating back to his time at Queens Park Rangers in the Championship, but at present, it now seems likeliest that they could land his signature, fending off interest from North London rivals Arsenal too.
