Spurs sign Bayern Munich forward Tel on loan

Tottenham Hotspur have signed French U21 forward Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich. The 19-year-old reportedly rejected Spurs earlier this month but will now move to north London. Tottenham have an option to buy him for £45 million in the summer.

On Monday, his agent, Gadiri Camara, posted a picture that appeared to show the pair of them on a private jet. Tel has made 83 appearances for Bayern since joining from French club Rennes in 2022, scoring 16 goals and providing seven assists.

Spurs secured their first Premier League victory in eight matches with a 2-0 win over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday. Manager Ange Postecoglou's side are currently 14th in the table but are into the last 16 of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. They travel to Liverpool for the second leg of the latter tie on Thursday, leading 1-0.

This is the club’s second transfer in two days after they announced the loan signing of Austrian defender Kevin Danso from Ligue 1 club Lens on Sunday. A £70 million bid from Spurs for England centre-back Marc Guehi was rejected by Crystal Palace on Monday. Tel had previously been linked with a move to Manchester United, but European football expert Julien Laurens said Postecoglou had urged the forward to choose Spurs.

Laurens said: "Ange Postecoglou had a long conversation earlier today with Mathys Tel and convinced him to come to Tottenham. The Spurs manager has played a huge role in bringing in one of the most sought-after young players in Europe." It has been reported that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy travelled to Munich last week in an attempt to convince winger Tel to join his club, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Reports from these unconfirmed sources said Tel wanted a move to Manchester United or another of England’s footballing giants. Arsenal were reportedly interested in Tel up until the transfer deadline, while Chelsea considered a swap deal involving Christopher Nkunku earlier in the window. However, no other transfers materialised, and, in a surprise turn of events, agent Gadiri Camara and his client Tel were pictured together on a private plane.

Minutes later, reports emerged that he would be joining Spurs, showing that Tel had kept English football in anxious anticipation. It has been a remarkable transfer window for Tel, with Bayern’s stance changing from initially stating he was “not for sale” to allowing the biggest clubs in England to discuss signing him.