Mathys Tel: Who is Tottenham's new signing from Bayern Munich?

Mathys Tel is one of the most talked-about names in the transfer window. The 19-year-old French U21 forward has been linked with several clubs. While initially reported to have rejected these advances, he has now joined Tottenham Hotspur, with the London club having the option to make the move permanent in the summer for £50 million.

Manchester United and Chelsea expressed interest in him earlier in the window, while Arsenal were also linked with him this month. Tel was described as "one of Europe's biggest talents" by then-Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic when he joined Bayern Munich from Rennes in 2022 for around £23 million.

However, two and a half years later, he has only started nine times for Bayern and is yet to fully realize his potential. The Spurs side Tel joins currently hold a 1-0 lead over Liverpool in the second leg of the English League Cup semi-final, and are still in the Europa League and FA Cup, but face pressure in the Premier League, currently sitting in 14th place.

What Tottenham Hotspur fans can expect is a dynamic and at times slightly wild attacking player who is adept at bamboozling defenders with some real trickery. His first touch is one of his biggest strengths, while his decision-making and defensive awareness could use some improvement. He can create magic with the ball at his feet, but can also be prone to positional errors at inopportune moments.

If Tottenham Hotspur decide to use him as a winger, they will likely deploy him primarily on the left, from where the right-footed player can cut inside. He is also keen to sprint down the flank, but his ball control at high speed may not be good enough to avoid mistakes against gifted full-backs. Postecoglou may experiment with Tel as a forward, but he would need a stronger, target-man centre-forward alongside him, so that he can pick up rebounds and occupy space when his partner draws the centre-backs out of position.

It is still difficult to judge just how high Tel's ceiling is. When he played regularly last season, his performances were inconsistent, but this is not surprising given his age and limited experience at the highest level. Considering the financial issues discussed in recent days, Tel still needs to prove himself. Tottenham Hotspur's technical director, Johan Lange, traveled to Munich to watch Tel play for Bayern for 62 minutes in their Champions League match against Slovan Bratislava last Wednesday.

On Friday, it was reported that Tel had rejected a move to Spurs after Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur agreed a £50 million transfer deal. He was left out of the squad for Saturday’s Bundesliga match against Holstein Kiel amid the ongoing rumours. The teenager decided to join Spurs after earlier talks between Bayern and Manchester United broke down, and after Tel had a conversation with Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou.

In his first Bundesliga season, he gradually adapted to senior football, scoring five goals in one start and 21 substitute appearances. Then at the start of his second season, he was in blistering form, scoring three goals and contributing one assist in his first five Bundesliga matches – all as a substitute. However, he still found it difficult to break into Bayern’s star-studded starting XI. He only started six times, the first of which wasn’t until March 2024, with three of those coming in the final three matches of the season, when Bayern’s title defence had already ended.

He has only started two Bundesliga matches this season and has been named as an unused substitute nine times. He is yet to score in any competitive match this season. Just last week, Bayern’s hierarchy were still praising Tel’s potential. “Mathys is an incredibly sought-after player. That’s why the move (from Rennes) to Bayern was the right decision,” said the club’s sporting director Max Eberl last Friday.

For a long time, neither Bayern nor Tel were keen to part ways, hoping that the Frenchman would make the breakthrough at the club he joined from Rennes in 2022 with huge expectations. However, his playing time has been on the decline since Thomas Tuchel was replaced by Vincent Kompany in the summer. Eberl said in the summer that Tel would get more playing time this season, but he has found himself in a peripheral role. Kompany has never given a clear explanation for Tel’s limited role.

“It’s just the situation that there’s always competition at Bayern,” Kompany said in December. “There are top players in every position. [Tel] is actually doing really well. He’s a player we all like.” One problem for the undoubtedly talented Frenchman is that he is generally seen as a winger. Bayern have several top wingers with international experience, including Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry, making it difficult for Tel to secure a place in Kompany’s side.

Meanwhile, Tel has rarely been considered as a forward, despite featuring briefly in the position on a couple of occasions. Even when Harry Kane went down with a thigh injury in the German ‘Klassiker’ between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund in late November, Tel did not fill the vacant forward position. Instead, Kompany used veteran Thomas Müller, or even traditional No. 10 Jamal Musiala, as a forward.

While his playing time was shockingly low until December, Tel was still determined to stay at Bayern, despite growing interest from Premier League clubs, and the German club were reluctant to sell. However, after both parties later had a change of heart, Tel will now be hoping he can get more regular football in the Premier League.