Who is Tottenham’s newest forward Mathys Tel?
Tottenham Hotspur acquired Mathys Tel at the last hour of the winter transfer window as he became their third signing of the month behind Antonin Kinsky and Kevin Danso. The 19-year-old arrives at Hotspur Way on a loan from Bayern Munich for the remainder of the season with the club also having the option of making the move permanent in the summer for a fee of approximately £50 million.
Tel has been one of France’s most prodigious young forwards in recent years but struggled for minutes at the Allianz Arena this season under Vincent Kompany, thus being loaned out to Spurs, who he picked ahead of Manchester United amongst others. Here is everything you need to know about the teenager on a personal and professional basis.
Mathys Tel’s personal profile.
Mathys Tel was born on April 27th, 2005 in the suburb of Sarcelles, located north of Paris, the capital of France. He is six feet tall and is of Guadeloupean descent, and was one of the youngest French footballers to have won a Nike sponsorship, at the age of 14. Through a lucrative deal with the American sportswear manufacturer, he was anticipated to be earning £8,000 per day.
Tel initially started his career as a central defender due to his height and physical stature but owing to the skillsets he developed, he started being used as a forward. His first recorded club came in 2012, JS Villiers-de-Bel, where he spent four years through till 2016 before moving to Paris FC for a year. Afterwards, he would spend short durations at AS Jeunesse Aubervilliers and Montrouge FC 92, prior to the big break in his youth career in 2020 in Ligue 1 side Rennes’ youth setup.
Mathys Tel’s senior career
After only a season in the Rennes academy, Tel was promoted to the first team in 2021/22, thereby becoming the club’s youngest-ever first-team player. In his maiden campaign, the teenager made 20 appearances in all competitions, including for Rennes B, and scored 12 goals, primarily as a winger on both, the left as well as the right flanks.
Less than a year after his senior debut, Bayern Munich took note of his talent and purchased him for a £23 million transfer fee in July 2022. His first season in Germany was largely spent on the periphery but six goals to his name in just 600 minutes of action ensured that he remained firmly in the club’s plans for 2023/24 rather than being loaned out for more regular game time.
Under Thomas Tuchel, Tel was able to find his feet on a consistent basis for the very first time since breaking through at Rennes as he struck 10 goals and provided six assists in 41 appearances in all competitions. He averaged a goal contribution every 87 minutes in his best season so far from a statistical perspective, whilst being a handy backup behind former Tottenham marksman Harry Kane.
Interestingly, Kompany has not been the biggest fan of Tel and decided to play him for only 458 minutes in the first half of 2024/25. Tottenham offered him a route away and as it turns out, the French U21 international joins Ange Postecoglou’s side at the right time with the Lilywhites enduring an injury crisis though at the same time, being well poised to compete in the cup competitions.
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Mathys Tel’s player attributes
Mathys Tel has been lauded for his all-round contribution on the pitch and has earned comparisons with Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe. He is able to play in all the positions across the attacking third, is extremely rapid and as a result, is able to beat the opponent’s high lines with relative ease. He is also a threat in one-on-one situations with his exceptional dribbling and finishes chances well from close range, in addition to being a superb header of the ball due to his height.
For all that he brings offensively, Tel does not neglect his defensive duties and works hard off the ball to regain possession. As far as the negatives go, he lacks the composure to take a number of touches in the box and rushes his shots at times, whilst also struggling to hold the ball if he is marked by a defender that does not commit to his mazy feet.
