Mathys Tel has revealed that Wilson Odobert played a key role in his decision to secure a January transfer move to Tottenham. The attacker completed a loan move to the north London club on Monday evening after last week appearing to reject a permanent £50million transfer to Spurs.
Tel has joined on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the campaign, with Tottenham having the option to purchase the versatile attacker for £45.7million in the summer. Talking to SPURSPLAY for the first time since signing on the dotted line in the capital, Tel opened up on his Tottenham transfer, why Ange Postecoglou's side are the best option for him and what Odobert told him before he made his final decision.
"I'm very excited to play with my teammates and for the fans. It's a new challenge for me, a new chapter to open and I'm very excited about it," said the 19-year-old.
"Why I chose Tottenham? Because it was the best option for me. What was important for me was I felt the commitment. I spoke with the president, talked with the manager. I'm young, I need to grow up and that was for me the best option and now I'm very, very happy.
"I think I'm a physical player, fast, technical and I play every moment and every game with my heart. I live with this pressure. I always have to push myself to go up and look forward. Football is always a dream for me to play in the first team, for the best in the world.
"I'm ready for every game, that's why I'm here and I know what I have to do for Tottenham, for the team and for the fans. I know what I have to do and that's what I hope I'm going to do."
On his conversations with Odobert prior to joining Tottenham, Tel revealed: "Yes I talked with Wilson. He told me: ‘Come, you have to come here’.
"He's my friend, I played with him for the French team, we're good friends and he told me to come because it's a great team and you will see it's very nice."
Tel also went on to reveal exactly why he plays with a bandage on his right hand in every game. He said: "It was one injury when I was ten years old and after that I cannot play without it."
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