Bavarian Football Works

Despite showing sporadic glimpse of brightness at Bayern Munich ever since making his move from Stade Rennes in France, it just never fully clicked for Mathys Tel with the German Rekordmeister. After it became clear midway through this season that the French youngster’s minutes would remain to be few and far between under Vincent Kompany, it was decided that a loan spell to Tottenham in the Premier League would be the best option for his continued development. For Spurs, there is an option to buy Tel at the end of the loan, but his loan spell has not exactly gotten off to a flying start.

Ever since moving on loan to North London at the end of the winter transfer window, Tel has made a total of five appearances across all competitions, four of which were starts largely due to the massive number of injuries to Tottenham’s attack and midfield. He scored in the 2-1 FA Cup loss to Aston Villa at the beginning of the month and that remains to be his only goal contribution to date for the struggling Spurs side.

Manager Ange Postecoglou recently offered his thoughts on Tel, fully recognizing that there was no expectation for the 19-year old to hit the ground running in England and light the world on fire. “With Mathys, he hadn’t played a lot, we’ve thrown him in and kept him in there because I want to build up his fitness. But if anyone is expecting him to come in as a 19-year-old and take the Premier League by storm by scoring multiple goals, it’s not realistic. It just can’t happen,” the Australian manager explained (via @iMiaSanMia).

Before Tel made his loan move to North London, he had made a total of 14 appearances for Bayern under Kompany, the majority of which were appearances coming off of the bench. Knowing that, one of the first goals for Postecoglou was to get Tel’s fitness levels up and then maintain them for the remainder of the season. “What we’re trying to do is work with him. He needs to get his physical fitness up because he hasn’t played a lot of football. At 19, I see really outstanding attributes in him that I think he could be a really good No. 9 and he can play wide as well. He’s not going to be a Dom [Solanke] or [Liam] Delap, he’s a different type. But looking at him in training, his movements are becoming a bit more fluent, he’s getting used to the way we play,” the manager explained.

For what it’s worth, there are also things that Postecoglou has seen from Tel already that he really likes. With the work he’s putting in and the way he’s been performing, Postecoglou feels that goals and assists will naturally start to come, which Tottenham desperately need at the moment. “He’s doing the things we need him to do at the moment to help us. He may not be getting the goals and the accolades but he’s certainly contributing to the way we want to play. That’s the most important thing. He’s got so much growth in him and I’m sure we’ll see that,” Postecoglou stressed.

Just a few short days after completing his loan move to Tottenham Hotspur from Bayern Munich, Mathys Tel was thrust into the action for his new club, making a second half appearance in Spurs’ 4-0 Carabao Cup semifinal loss to Liverpool at Anfield. He was far from the problem in what was a poor collective outing from a struggling Tottenham side that had gone into that tie 1-0 up on aggregate, but he did look energetic and hungry to make an impact.

At Bayern, Tel was simply not getting enough playing time for his liking under Vincent Kompany and it had gotten to a point where he voiced his concern with his lack of minutes, opening the door for a loan move away from Munich. While Tel had a preference to join either Arsenal FC or Manchester United, neither of those two clubs wanted him as much as he thought the might’ve and he wound up at Tottenham, a club he was able to hear quite a bit about from Harry Kane.

The England skipper recently explained that he and Tel had talked about Tottenham before Tel’s loan deal was made official, adding that the young French talent has already expressed how much he was impressed by Tottenham’s training grounds and facilities.

“He asked me [about Tottenham]. When the deal was done, he texted me and told me how great the training ground was. He was very excited. I wish Mathys all the best. Hopefully he gets a lot of playing time. That’s what he needs. He needs to develop and experience the highs and lows on the pitch. I know Tottenham well, they will look after him well. Hopefully he does well there. He should show what he can do at the highest level,” Kane told Sport1 (via @iMiaSanMia).

Of course, Kane’s presence in the Bayern squad is one of the big reasons why Tel missed out on minutes there, but he can play as a winger as well. At Tottenham, he likely won’t supplant Son Heung-Min or Dejan Kulusevski, but there is a window of opportunity for minutes with injuries to the likes of James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, and Dominic Solanke. Richarlison also sustained an injury in the losing effort against Liverpool, which Postecoglou said did not “look good.”

Looking for more thoughts and analysis from Bayern Munich’s 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show for a review of the starting XI, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and some final takeaways. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

According to a report from CaughtOffside reporter Mark Brus, Tottenham Hotspur could be the frontrunner to land Bayern Munich free agent Leroy Sané:

Tottenham have emerged as serious contenders to seal the transfer of Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané this summer, CaughtOffside understands.

Sources now believe that Bayern have all but given up on keeping Sané after trying their best to tie the Germany international down to a new contract, with his current deal about to expire.

Sané now looks highly likely to become a free agent this summer, and Tottenham have been joined by Barcelona in showing an interest in the 29-year-old.

Sané’s status with the club has been in doubt for months now and the club appears to be likely to want to flip quite a few positions in the attack. Will Sané move on?

Looking for more thoughts and discussion on Bayern Munich’s Champions League playoff round visit to Celtic FC? Awesome, because we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show, You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

Strikers, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur. Suddenly, it is starting to become a trend. First, Bayern and Tottenham engage in a long, protracted, difficult negotiation in the summer of 2023 that took months but ended with star striker Harry Kane arriving in Munich to wear the red shirt. Now, the winter transfer has concluded with Mathys Tel ending up in the Lilywhites’ colors after completing a loan transfer to the Premier League team. What’s next? Is Dominic Solanke going to move on from being the Kane successor at Tottenham to the being the Kane successor at Bayern? All right, perhaps not.

But the unique circumstances do give Harry Kane’s recent words on Tel’s departure some added meaning. Speaking shortly after the move was completed, the Tottenham legend had this to say: “It’s a great move for both parties. Mathys is a great guy and very hardworking. It’s important for him to get regular game time and keep improving to fulfill his potential. It’s great for Tottenham to have a young hungry player with loads of talent,” Kane said, via @iMiaSanMia.

According to a report from Daily Telegraph football news correspondent Matt Law (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), there is an interesting wrinkle to Harry Kane’s release clause with Bayern Munich — Tottenham Hotspur has the right to match it:

Sources close to Harry Kane have not commented on a report by Bild the England captain has a release clause, but @TeleFootball. understands that there is indeed a clause in Kane’s Bayern contract, even though he is said to be extremely happy in Germany and has no thoughts of activating it any time soon. Premier League clubs are already aware of the existence of Kane’s release clause, which could be crucial to a potential return to England.

Tottenham have a matching right, meaning that should a rival club trigger Kane’s Bayern release clause, Spurs would have to decide whether or not to match the bid and hope the 31-year-old preferred a return to North London.

While all reports indicate Kane is happy, this could mean that both the player and Bayern Munich are aware that a separation in the summer of 2026 is doable — and perhaps palatable for both parties — if Kane wants to head back to England.

From Bayern Munich’s perspective, the second that Kane wins a trophy, the club has to prepare for the possibility that Kane could — maybe — get the itch to head back to England and chase Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal scoring record.

The release clause is at least some protection against that scenario. For now, though, it is business as usual. Next January, though, this should spark much discussion between the player and the club — along with fans.

Looking for thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s upcoming Bundesliga tilt vs. Werder Bremen? Awesome, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

The drama surrounding Mathys Tel around deadline day of the winter transfer window was extraordinary. With the 19-year-old making the decision to leave Bayern Munich just days before the window closing, long standing interest from Arsenal FC, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur was re-ignited and led to a dramatic race for the French top talent. In the end, Tottenham were the ones to secure Tel’s signature, though not before they had been rejected a few days prior despite Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy flying over to seal the deal himself.

So what happened? Why did Tel do such a dramatic U-turn? Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou (try saying that name three times fast), who held a conversation with the youngster that was said to have changed his mind, gave his opinion on the matter:

“People need to understand we’re talking about a 19-year-old player with a major decision. It’s not so much about rejecting us or anyone. He wanted to be comfortable with the decision. He didn’t want to be pushed in a certain direction, credit to him,” the Greek born manager said, via @iMiaSanMia. “I had a conversation with him and purely around the football and that I think he’ll find a great place here in terms of where he is in his career. We’ve shown irrespective of age, he’ll get an opportunity, and the way we play will suit him and what we have in the next few months and beyond, it’s a perfect fit.

“It is right that it took as long as it did so he’s comfortable with it. That he took so much time and was diligent, and made the decision when he had options, it meant the right mentality, right player, he’s ambitious, with self belief and self confidence and feels he can reach the very top.”

So...it was a mix between making a difficult decision at an age notorious for poor decision making, not wanting to be pushed around by others (Was it Bayern pushing him to make the move? Tottenham? Both?) and taking the time to make the most informed decision. That sounds about right.

Looking for thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s upcoming Bundesliga tilt vs. Werder Bremen? Awesome, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl thinks that Mathys Tel is in a terrific position to improve, now that he is settling into his new home — on loan with Tottenham Hotspur.

“Mathys came to Bayern as a very young player and developed at the highest level here. He hasn’t got the game time he wanted of late, so came to us with the desire to move. We’ve now developed a set-up that offers Mathys, Bayern and Tottenham an excellent opportunity,” Eberl said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Ultimately, the jury is out on this move until Tel starts to play. The youngster needs minutes and he needs to gain experience — two things that were unlikely to happen during the second half of the season at Bayern Munich. If — for whatever reason — Tel does not get the game time he needs, this move could represent another lost opportunity for the Frenchman.

Looking to catch up on all of the weekend’s action? Awesome, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, and below:

According to a report from Bild journalist Christian Falk (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich will get €10 million from Tottenham Hotspur as a loan fee for Mathys Tel.

Falk also clarified the exact situation with the option to buy that is included in the deal:

Bayern will receive a loan fee worth up to €10m for Mathys Tel. At first a straight loan was considered, but then Spurs insisted on an option to buy, which Bayern set at the €60m previously agreed. Spurs can only activate it if Tel himself agrees to a permanent move.

Tel, who shot down a full transfer from Tottenham Hotspur last Friday before agreeing to a deal with him on Monday, was asked if he and Harry Kane had a chance to talk about the move. Tel’s response was captured by @iMiaSanMia):

Looking to catch up on all of the weekend’s action? Awesome, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, and below:

Multiple reports now indicate that Tottenham Hotspur have secured a buy option in the transfer deadline day loan deal for FC Bayern striker Mathys Tel.

Tel previously turned down a permanent move to Spurs that would have seen Bayern Munich collect a €60M transfer fee. However, now he has options open — including a return to Bayern, or a move to another team also submitting an acceptable offer.

From Sky as of Monday afternoon, Eastern Time:

Tottenham Hotspur’s deal to sign Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich on loan will include an option to buy. Sky Sports News understands Tel is in England ahead of a proposed move to Spurs ⏳

Additionally from Evening Standard Chief Correspondent Dan Kilpatrick, as captured via @iMiaSanMia:

Tottenham have agreed a buy option in Mathys Tel’s loan move from Bayern Munich

Spurs will be able to sign the player permanently at the end of the season.

Is Tel leaving the door back to Bayern open just a crack — because he feels like such an insomniac? — or is he just that unconvinced by a permanent Spurs move?

Regardless, he will have the next three months and change to show what he can do under Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou.

Update — January 31st, 5:35PM EST: Aston Villa, Chelsea out on Tel

According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Chelsea FC and Aston Villa are out of the race on Bayern Munich attacker Mathys Tel. Is the Frenchman is to leave Bayern Munich, Arsenal FC and Manchester United are now his top options:

Mathys Tel has rejected Tottenham’s offer. He prefers to stay at Bayern rather than join Spurs

It will be either Manchester United or Arsenal or he will stay at Bayern

❌ Chelsea, Aston Villa are no longer in the race

@RMCsport

Update — January 31st, 4:35PM EST: Tel would rather sit at Bayern than play for Spurs...yikes

This story, man...it just keeps going.

Bayern Munich wanted to send youngster Mathys Tel to Tottenham Hotspur on a lucrative loan-with-an-obligation-to-buy deal, but the attacker rejected it.

How he rejected it, though, it kind of crazy (per Sky Sport journalists Florian Plettenberg and Kerry Hau):

As just exclusively revealed, Mathys #Tel is now seriously considering staying at FC Bayern!

… after rejecting Tottenham today.

Bayern were determined to finalize Tel’s transfer to Tottenham today. However, Tel decided to reject Tottenham’s offer. He informed Bayern if there are only two options - signing for Tottenham or staying at Bayern - then he wants to stay.

There was no new contact between Bayern and Tel today after his rejection. He is set to be part of the squad against Kiel on Saturday.

But Manchester United, not giving up. #MUFC

That cannot feel good if you are Tottenham Hotspur...especially after the chairman flew to Germany to try and close the deal.

According to a report from Sky Sport journalists Florian Plettenberg and Kerry Hau, Mathys Tel could be rethinking his stance. A stay with Bayern Munich could be in play for the French youngster, which seemed like a longshot just yesterday:

For the first time in the past four days, Mathys #Tel is no longer ruling out staying at FC Bayern after rejecting Tottenham today!

Bayern have now also received information that a stay is possible. However, further discussions are ongoing. Manchester United, who contacted Bayern by phone, remain in the race. Aston Villa, Arsenal and Chelsea are still involved. #MUFC

It now depends on the clubs, on their projects, visions and concrete offers whether a loan or even a sale could still happen before the Deadline Day.

Tel rejected Tottenham today because he wasn’t convinced by the project - independent of the Spurs’ offer.

The situation is far from over and Tel will likely need some assurances on playing time before he finalizes any decision. When there is more news, we’ll have it...

Looking for our thoughts and analysis of the Mathys Tel transfer situation, along with why Vincent Kompany should be held accountable for Bayern Munich’s recent iffy performances? Great, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below: