Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich. The 19-year-old attacker joins on a short-term loan, with an option to buy, worth £45.7 million, inserted into the agreement.
The Frenchman was subject to interest from many other Premier League clubs but has chosen the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as his final destination instead of the likes of Chelsea, Aston Villa and Manchester United.
Spurs had reportedly agreed a €60m fee with Bayern Munich last week, however, the move was called off after Tel initially decided against moving to North London and instead wanted to wait for other clubs to swoop in for his signature.
Man United looked to slide in and secure his services but failed to agree a deal with Die Roten, leading to talks resuming between The Lilywhites and the Bundesliga giants on deadline day and subsequently a loan move being agreed between the clubs in the final few hours of the January transfer window.
A major swing to the deal was reportedly due to a phone call received by Tel from Ange Postecoglou. The pair spent a lengthy amount of time on the phone with each other, where the former Celtic boss convinced the Frenchman of the ongoing project in N17, and as the saying goes, the rest is history!
He joins Czechia goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky and Austrian centre-back Kevin Danso on the list of Spurs' winter reinforcements.
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Career to date
The former Stade Rennais man has represented France at youth level, scoring 23 goals across 40 appearances for the Under 17, 18, 19 and 21 sides.
In 2021, he made his senior debut for Rennes, becoming their youngest-ever player aged 16 years and 110 days - a record which was previously held by Eduardo Camavinga. The following year, he moved onto greater heights as he joined Die Bayern in a deal in the region of €20m.
He became Bayern Munich's youngest-ever goalscorer in a competitive match when he scored in a 5–0 win over Viktoria Köln in the DFB-Pokal, aged just 17 years and 126 days. He is also their youngest-ever Bundesliga goalscorer.
Additionally, the youngster has history in the UEFA Champions League, scoring a 92nd-minute winner against Erik ten Hag's Manchester United in a 4-3 victory in September 2023.
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What he will offer
So far in the 2024/25 campaign, he has made 14 appearances under former Anderlecht and Burnley Manager Vincent Kompany's guidance, as both a winger and a number nine, with an equal split between the games he has played in each role.
Despite the number of appearances, he has only played 458 minutes, in which he has managed to register one assist to his name, his chances have been limited with the likes of former Tottenham striker Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise all understandably ahead of him in the pecking order at the Bundesliga club.
The Frenchman's ability to play on the wings or as a number nine gives Postecoglou added squad depth ahead of what is set to be a challenging second half of the campaign, with his side still fighting on all four fronts despite a harrowing injury crisis.
His dynamism in terms of position will not only ease the workload on Richarlison, who returned from twelve weeks out injured a fortnight ago and is now the only senior striker available after Dominic Solanke picked up a knee injury last month, but also on Heung-Min Son and Dejan Kulusevski who have been forced to start on nearly every single game over the busiest period of the season.
The verdict on the signing
OPINION: Although he's young, and there is no doubting his talent, Spurs really have to take their time and allow him to adjust to the standards of England's top-flight, however, there may be no time for a grace period.
With two huge ties coming up in the week as Spurs travel to Anfield, where a win or draw will see them reach the Carabao Cup final before they go to Villa Park for the Fourth Round of the Emirates FA Cup, he could be thrown straight into the deep end.
