When Tottenham can make Champions League squad changes for the knockouts
Thomas Frank will soon have to make big decisions on his Tottenham squad for the Champions League following the addition of Conor Gallagher and Souza during the winter window.
The winter transfer window has slammed shut, and for Tottenham Hotspur, it proved to be a disappointing month overall.
Spurs, who are currently managing an injury crisis with over ten players sidelined for long periods, made just one marquee signing in Conor Gallagher, who joined for £35 million from Atletico Madrid.
The Englishman was also joined by teenage full-back Souza after Spurs agreed on a £15 million deal with Santos.
When Tottenham can update their Champions League squad after deadline day
Both players have begun to settle into life in north London, with Gallagher already making three Premier League starts. Souza, on the other hand, is yet to make his debut, although he was named on the substitute bench against Manchester City.
Opportunities to feature domestically, however, are limited given that Tottenham are out of both domestic cup competitions.
In the Champions League, both players can now represent Spurs despite being ineligible during January.
That is because UEFA regulations allow clubs competing in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League to register a maximum of three new eligible players after the league phase and before the knockout stage.
Previous rules preventing a player from representing two clubs in the same Champions League campaign were scrapped ahead of the 2018-19 season.
All participating clubs now have until midnight on Thursday, 5 February to submit changes, after which the updated squad lists will be published on the UEFA website.
What this means for Spurs under Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank will now be forced to make even tougher decisions over who to include and who to leave out of his Champions League squad.
Several established names could once again miss out, particularly with the injury situation expected to ease during late February and March.
Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur and Kudus could return around the time of the round-of-16 ties, leaving Frank with key calls to make over which players are sacrificed to accommodate Gallagher and the Swede.
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