Mathys Tel was the story of the January transfer window, with the Bayern Munich wonderkid the subject of a thrilling transfer race between several Premier League giants.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United were all interested in signing the 19-year-old after he decided to leave Munich in pursuit of more regular game time.
On Monday’s deadline day, the forward boarded a plan to England… and to the surprise of everyone he landed at Tottenham – just days after turning down their advances.
Ange Postecoglou wasted no time in throwing Tel straight into the action, subbing him on in the first-half of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool on Thursday night.
It was a debut to forget however as Spurs were humiliated 4-0 and he’ll be hoping for much, much better on Sunday when his side take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
Here’s what Tottenham fans can expect from their newest signing as they pray he can help turnaround their awful season…
Mathys Tel plays in a number of attacking positions
Tel has great versatility, allowing him to play across the forward line which will no doubt come in handy for Postecoglou given Tottenham’s countless injury issues.
Described as a ‘false winger’ – working as a traditional wideman and drifting in centrally to operate as a second striker – he mainly plays on the left.
‘I’m somewhere between a number nine and a left winger,’ the teenager told the Bundesliga website in a 2023 interview. ‘I can also play on the right, but I’m more comfortable as a striker and on the left.’
He initially played on the left after being subbed on for Richarlison at Anfield, but with the Brazilian now joining Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson in the treatment room, Tel may have to settle for playing in his less favoured positions.
Harry Kane’s verdict on Mathys Tel
Tel was dubbed a ‘mini-Mbappe’ by fans when he joined Bayern from Rennes in 2022 for £24million.
There are obvious comparisons between the French teenager and the Real Madrid superstar due to their playing styles but it is England captain and Tottenham’s all-time top scorer Harry Kane who Tel looks up to.
‘He’s a great striker. ‘He has shown that across his career. I’m a striker too, so he’s a role model for me,’ Tel said of his now former Bayern teammate.
‘It’s important to have people to learn from technically and in terms of finishing. Often I don’t even have to ask him. He just comes over to me and tells me: “Mathys, you can do that, or that”. He’s a role model to me, and he is helping me a lot.’
‘It’s a great move for both parties. Mathys is a great guy and really hardworking,’ Kane said after Tel’s transfer was finalised.
‘Obviously, for his potential it’s important for him to get some minutes under his belt and some regular game time and hopefully develop, keep improving and hopefully fulfil all the potential that he has.
‘It’s great for Tottenham to have a young hungry player with loads of talent to hopefully score some goals and help push Tottenham as far as possible.
‘I’m wishing him all the best. I hope he has a fantastic time there. I know he will and I’m sure all the fans will make him feel really welcome as well.’
Mathys Tel career stats:
Appearances – 94
Starts – 16
Goals – 22
Assists – 7
Trophies – Bundesliga 2022/23, U17 Euros 2022
Will Mathys Tel sign for Tottenham permanently?
Tel has joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern until the end of the season but Spurs do have the option to buy him permanently in the summer.
Reports say the buy-out clause is worth €55m (£45.7m) and if activated, Tel will sign a six-year contract to remain in north London.
It’s early days, but Postecoglou has already hinted that he wants the transfer to happen: ‘He’ll be a Tottenham player, mate. He’ll be a Tottenham player.
‘I think he’ll show everyone he’s going to be a Tottenham player in the next six months. I didn’t bring him here for six months.’
Asked for his thoughts on Tel and fellow debutant Kevin Danso’s performance against Liverpool, the Spurs boss said: ‘They did okay. Kevin was really positive, as was Mathys.
‘It’s hard, you know, throwing guys in after their first training sessions, it’s not ideal. That’s part of our dilemma at the moment of trying to get some fluency and consistency but also knowing we have to keep tinkering with the starting line up to account for everything going on. But I thought they acquitted themselves well.’
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