Tottenham are set to add a third loanee to their squad for the remainder of the season. Mathys Tel, who looked on course to remain at Bayern Munich after a dramatic final two weeks of the January window, will join Kevin Danso as an option for Ange Postecoglou.
Unlike with Danso, who will be signed permanently for just over £20million in the summer, as per the clause in his contract, Tel is not expected to stay beyond June 30. The final details and structure is still being finalised, football.london understands, so things could change.
However, what doesn't change is that Spurs will have three loanees at once. Timo Werner, after initially moving on a six-month deal of his own, is currently in the middle of a season-long loan himself.
Tottenham do have an option to buy him after June 30 but given the way he has found life under Postecoglou, that does not appear likely. Nevertheless, Tel will still be the third at one time for the remainder of this season.
Despite some confusion around how Tottenham can do this, it is allowed. Changes to FIFA's international loan rules have restricted matters in recent years but not to the extent that Spurs are running into trouble.
Premier League regulations allow for up to four domestic loans into a club across a season. No more than two are allowed at the same time, either, with only one player from a single team able to come in as well.
Arsenal, for example, would have needed to end their loan of Raheem Sterling or Neto if they were to bring in someone else during the January window. For loans coming from outside of England there is less strict legislation.
That plays into Tottenham's hands as they take on three at once. FIFA allows six players to come in or out with an exception for club-trained players who are aged 21 or younger. No more than three can arrive from one club outside of England, either.
In total, though, it means that eight players can be loaned throughout a season, as long as the other stipulations are met. Therefore, when Tottenham do get to the stage of eventually signing Tel, there is no worry of rules being broken.
Between Tel, Bayern, and the other interested parties, a club-to-club understanding was never reached. That left Tel in limbo ahead of the final four months of the season.
Tottenham have taken the chance on the versatile attacker, who is capable of playing both on the left wing and as a centre forward. He will bolster Postecoglou's options during a period of fitness issues across the squad.
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