The Lilywhites have finalized their list of 25 players to compete in the UEFA Champions League for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.
Several prominent first-team members have been excluded from Ange Postecoglou’s Champions League roster for the group stage matches.
Postecoglou’s team is slated to face off against RC Lens (h), AEK Athens (a), Feyenoord (a), FC Salzburg (h), Real Madrid (a), Crvena Zvezda (h), RB Leipzig (h) and Olympique Marseille (a) during the group stage of the competition.
Several key Tottenham Hotspur players not included in Champions League squad
However, the team will have to proceed without key players like Richarlison, Micky van de Ven, Alejo Veliz, Ashley Phillips, and Pape Matar Sarr.
These players were not included in the Spurs’ A List, and neither was summer signing Jamie Donley.
According to UEFA regulations: “Each club is limited to a maximum of 25 players on List A during the competition. A minimum of eight slots are reserved for ‘locally trained players,’ and no more than four ‘association-trained players’ can occupy these eight slots on List A.
“List A must clearly identify which players are classified as ‘locally trained,’ specifying whether they are ‘club-trained’ or ‘association-trained’.
Players who have spent at least three years, either continuously or intermittently, in Tottenham’s youth academy between the ages of 15 and 21 are considered club-trained.
The term ‘association-trained’ is often referred to as ‘homegrown’ and applies to players who were developed in England, irrespective of whether they trained with Tottenham during the specified period.
Donley initially joined on loan in January, and his stay at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was converted into a permanent deal at the start of the summer transfer window.
The Englishman penned a six-year deal, effective from July 1, and has featured in two Premier League matches this season. However, he won’t be available for Postecoglou’s Champions League campaign. As stipulated by UEFA rules, Donley and the other excluded players are ineligible to participate in Tottenham’s eight group-stage games.
According to UEFA regulations, “Following the completion of the group stage and before the commencement of the knockout phase, clubs are permitted to register a maximum of three new eligible players for the remaining matches of the competition. These registrations must be finalized by February 5, 2026.”
Therefore, should Donley demonstrate exceptional performance in the Premier League during the winter months, Postecoglou might consider including him in the Champions League squad. This could involve replacing a player who hasn’t played, sustained an injury, or experienced a decline in form, provided Tottenham advance to the knockout stages.
