Tottenham Hotspur raised plenty of eyebrows when they agreed a loan deal with Bayern Munich to sign Mathys Tel during the winter transfer window.
The France Under-21 international arrived at Spurs with a lofty reputation, but it would be fair to say he has failed to live up to expectations.
Tel helped Bayern win the Bundesliga title in his debut season and was touted as one of the brightest prospects in European football.
He was subsequently linked with several big clubs, so Tottenham’s move for him was viewed as a coup when it was first announced.
However, his goal against Southampton after being brought on as a late substitute was his first in six Premier League appearances for the club.
Former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane keeps a close eye on the club’s progress and has been unimpressed by Tel up to this point.
“Tel hasn’t made much of an impact so far and I am not too sure whether they’ll sign him permanently – I don’t think he has done enough,” he told Betway Insider.
“He needs to do a little bit more, but there’s definitely a good player in there. He needs to play on a regular basis to get his numbers up and to score some goals, which he hasn’t done as often as you’d like.”
While Tel’s hopes of securing a permanent move to Tottenham look slim, another promising young forward is on track to join the club in January.
Spurs agreed a £1.6 million fee to sign Mason Melia from League of Ireland club St Patrick’s Athletic and he will head over the Irish Sea next year.
The teenager’s attacking talent has drawn comparisons with Keane, who was a hugely popular figure during his time with Tottenham.
Melia helped St Patrick’s win the Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup in 2023 courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Bohemians.
The 17-year-old featured in Champions League qualifiers last summer and was named Young Footballer of the Year in Ireland – the youngest ever recipient of the award.
Everton, Chelsea, Manchester City, Celtic, Genk, Bologna and Eintracht Frankfurt all wanted to sign Melia, but Tottenham won the race to secure his services.
Keane, who is now the manager of Hungarian giants Ferencvaros, believes Melia has every chance of making the breakthrough with his former club.
“There’s a lot of pressure, and the advice I’d give him is just to keep his head down, work as hard as he can and try to get himself as close as he can to that first team,” Keane added.
“If he can show what he’s capable of doing, I’m sure the manager will give him an opportunity. Here at Ferencvaros, I gave Alex Toth a chance at 19 years of age because he was good enough and he had a great attitude. If the manager can see that you’re working hard to try and improve every day, that’s the key.
“I wouldn’t be going to Tottenham thinking too far ahead about getting into the first team, because he’s still a long way off that, but if he puts his head down and works hard it won’t go unnoticed.”
