Mathys Tel Stats: Why Tottenham returned for terrific teenager on deadline day

 

Deadline day so often throws up a twist, and that came in the form of Mathys Tel signing for Tottenham. Just last week, the Frenchman had turned down the chance to move to Spurs, and it seemed as though a deal for the teenager was dead in the water. The final day of the winter window promised to be a straight shootout between Arsenal and Manchester United for the 19-year-old. 

 

And yet, Tottenham have confirmed the capture of Tel on loan until the end of the season with the option to make the move permanent in the summer for €60m following some convincing from head coach Ange Postecoglou over the weekend. Tel was left out of the Bayern squad for the 4-3 win over Holstein Kiel on Saturday, suggesting his options were limited to a move away before the deadline, or to struggle for minutes in Bavaria in the second half of the season. 

 

 

When it was confirmed that Tel would leave Bayern, there was a mad dash to land the former Rennes man. Chelsea had been credited with an interest in the talented teenage forward last month, with a potential swap deal involving Christopher Nkunku in the offing. Tel, though, will play for Spurs for the second half of the campaign, with the hope of garnering regular gametime under Postecoglou. 

 

Even with a lack of action for Bayern last season, Tel still ended with seven goals and five assists to his name. He’s yet to get among the goals in the Bundesliga but playing second fiddle to Harry Kane and seemingly out of favour under Vincent Kompany, that doesn't come as a surprise. 

 

Yet Spurs are acquiring one of the most promising teenagers on the continent, and one who is also first team ready. Tel can crucially play any number of roles across the frontline, and this adaptability is crucial in this Spurs side. An issue for Postecoglou is that his senior wingers don’t have the required directness to cause chaos in the final third. Son Heung-Min’s best years are behind him, and the South Korean so often looks to cut inside and go for goal rather than try and beat a marker on the outside. 

 

Timo Werner has the pace to beat a man, yet lacks the confidence and consistency to regularly hurt teams, while Brennan Johnson thrives when there is space to run into, rather than with the ball at his feet. Tel, then, combines the best qualities of the three forwards, maximising clever movement inside the box to get on the end of goalscoring chances, and boasts the explosiveness to run at markers with the ball at his feet. He did, after all, finish last season with an average of 3.2 successful dribbles per 90. While these numbers are skewed in that Tel would often come off the bench to run at tiring defenders, it’s a promising return. 

 

There’s also the versatility to Tel’s game that means he can play a number of attacking roles depending on the state of a match in question. Indeed, he is a counter-attacking threat – key for a Spurs side that ranks joint-top for counter-attacking goals (10) in England’s top tier this term – that can play off the shoulder of the last man, or drift across the frontline to open up space for teammates to exploit. 

 

Crucially, too, is that Tel is a hard-worker off the ball. It’s no secret that Postecoglou wants his players to press opponents high up the pitch to force turnovers in dangerous areas, which they do well having won possession in the attacking third 129 times; only Bournemouth (146) and Arsenal (137) have done so more in the Premier League this season. 

 

 

There are weaknesses to his game that need to be ironed out, with his composure in front of goal an area of development. Across the Bundesliga and Champions League, Tel is yet to score with any of his 19 shots, while only six of those have hit the target. That said, this can be put down to a lack of action, thus a struggle to build consistency. 

 

On loan with an option to buy, he’s a very smart signing by Spurs - it's worth noting that Tel has been compared favourably to Kylian Mbappe in the past. While it was a rollercoaster ride to end up at this destination, that’s just how Spurs go about their business.

Mathys Tel Stats: Why Tottenham returned for terrific teenager on deadline day