1 February 2023
Tottenham Hotspur FC/Getty Images/Tottenham Hotspur FC
According to the Evening Standard, Antonio Conte will not have to leave any of his first-team players out of the Champions League squad following Matt Doherty’s departure on transfer deadline day.
Clubs can name up to 17 non-homegrown players in their Champions League squad, with Eric Dier and Matt Doherty both considered non-homegrown due to their formative years in Portugal and Ireland, respectively. Furthermore, despite meeting the age criteria, Pape Sarr and Bryan Gil are not eligible for the B-list because they have not been at Spurs long enough. Prior to the January transfer window, Tottenham had reached its limit of 17 non-homegrown players.
The arrivals of Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro may have complicated matters for Antonio Conte ahead of the Champions League resumption. However, The Evening Standard explained on their transfer deadline blog that the departures of Bryan Gil and Matt Doherty have freed up space in the squad for both of Tottenham’s new signings.
On Monday, Gil returned to Sevilla on loan until the end of the season, while Doherty’s contract was terminated, allowing him to join Atletico Madrid. Here’s how Tottenham’s squad looks following the deadline day business.
Hugo Lloris, Davinson Sanchez, Emerson Royal, Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Clement Lenglet, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Son Heung-min, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Kulusevski, Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Lucas Moura, Arnaut Danjuma, and Pedro Porro are Champions League non-
Brandon Austin, Fraser Forster, Ryan Sessegnon, Japhet Tanganga, Ben Davies, Oliver Skipp, and Harry Kane are among the homegrown Champions League players.
Spurs Online Opinion
This is possibly one of the main reasons Tottenham decided to terminate Doherty’s contract, as we now have one more home-grown player. There is no doubt that if the club had made a decision earlier in the transfer window, they could have handled the situation better and potentially gotten a transfer fee for the 30-year-old. Perhaps Conte insisted on Doherty and Spence leaving only after Porro was signed, causing the club to forego a transfer fee for the former Wolves player.
