Mathys Tel made his Tottenham debut on Thursday but things didn’t go as planned, as Spurs lost 4-0 to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
The 19-year-old striker was chased b y Arsenal and Manchester United in January but Spurs ultimately won the race for his signature, after agreeing to pay Bayern Munich a €10m (£8.3m, $10.4m) loan fee.
Tel’s loan deal gives Tottenham the option to buy him for around £45m in the summer, but the forward can also say no to a permanent deal, despite already pre-agreeing a long-term contract with the North London side.
According to a surprise claim from journalist Christian Falk, Tel could look to leave Tottenham in the summer, with a move to Man Utd or a return to Bayern suggested.
“There were also talks with Manchester United [in January] who were interested in Mathys Tel’s signature. Tel was certainly open to the move, but United weren’t prepared to pay the loan fee Bayern Munich were demanding at the time,” Falk told CaughtOffside.
“So, you see, there was a huge difference to the offer Tottenham came to the table with. Whether Tel stays with Bayern beyond the summer or moves on, it’s entirely up to him. If he can make the step to United, he would like to do it. If he sees a chance at Bayern Munich, perhaps he would also stay, but I think it’s hard for him, as he didn’t make it under Vincent Kompany.
“So, I think if he is performing very well, he will stay in the Premier League. If he doesn’t, he has to go back to Bayern and start again.”
Mathys Tel was very interested in joining Man Utd – sources
TEAMtalk transfer insider Ben Jacobs confirmed earlier this week that Tel was ‘open’ to joining Man Utd when they showed interest in him close to the winter transfer deadline.
The Red Devils had to factor in the overall cost of any Tel deal and consider their own PSR (Profitability and Sustainability Rules) situation. Eventually they left the race. It was the same story with Christopher Nkunku, who would have been costly on a loan, plus the player was reluctant to leave on a temporary deal at the time of their approach.
Ange Postecoglou ultimately held a direct call with Tel and that played an important role in the youngster deciding to get on the plane to North London.
The youngster played the full second half against Liverpool on Thursday but his impact on the game was limited, but in fairness the whole Spurs team were poor.
With Richarlison picking up a calf injury at Anfield, Tel and Dane Scarlett are Tottenham’s only fit striker options for their FA Cup game against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Bayern loanee therefore has an opportunity to nail down his spot in the Tottenham starting XI, with the promise of game time being another key factor in him deciding to join Tottenham.
With Postecoglou under serious pressure and Spurs 14th in the Premier League table, there is pressure on Tel to start scoring goals quickly for the North London club.
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