Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expressed his faith in Nicolas Jackson in his pre-match press conference ahead of the team’s Premier League meeting with Ipswich Town on Sunday. The 45-year-old called his primary striker as the ‘perfect number nine’ although he remained tight lipped about the club’s plans for the summer with regards to the position.
Since several months, it has been anticipated that Chelsea will be in the running for a striker at the end of the season with such talks only gaining more traction as the transfer window draws closer. As per Caught Offside, Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel, who is presently on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, is said to be of interest to the Blues.
Tottenham have the option to buy Tel permanently from Bayern for £50 million this summer but if they decide against doing so, Chelsea will look to exploit the situation in their favour. They had been interested in the Frenchman since the summer but when a move to Stamford Bridge failed to materialise, the forward decided to join Spurs on a short-term loan.
Tel’s future still hangs in the balance
Mathys Tel’s future continues to remain uncertain with all three options still open for the player.
The simplest of them all is to return to Bayern Munich, where he has already impressed. However, that might largely hinge on who their manager is for next season. If Vincent Kompany is relieved of his duties with the team on the brink of elimination in the Champions League, his replacement could see utility in keeping Tel in the team.
In case Kompany remains in the role, all signs point towards Tel leaving permanently though he has yet to convince Tottenham to spend £50 million on him. With only two goals in all competitions since joining them in February, it is hard to find a reason why the Lilywhites would want to invest sizeably in him in the longer run.
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Finally, joining Chelsea is also a very viable and perhaps very logical option. He will eventually be able to find his feet under Maresca, who not only excels in getting the best out of younger players, but also has a far better performing set of players than Tel’s teammates at Tottenham. He could also have the chance of play in his preferred central role with the Blues.
At £50 million, he is a reasonable investment for Chelsea, who can afford to gamble on that much of a sum considering the high potential Tel displayed at Bayern prior to the ongoing campaign. It remains to be seen how the chips end up falling as summer approaches but with several choices still at the player’s disposal, it is hard to anticipate where his future might lie next season.
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