Mathys Tel has played 14 games in total since he arrived at Tottenham Hotspur from Bayern Munich on loan in January.
Many Tottenham fans might have imagined that Tel was arriving to provide competition for Dominic Solanke, but it’s actually transpired that the 20-year-old is preferred on the left.
Ange Postecoglou has leaned on Tel as a starter at left-wing since Son Heung-min’s injury, and the Frenchman will likely start in Norway.
In his 14 appearances so far, Tel has scored three goals and the jury might be out to some degree among Spurs fans as to whether the club should sign the forward permanently from Bayern this summer.
Tottenham reportedly agreed a £45m option with Bayern as part of the loan, something James Maddison was asked about at Spurs’ press conference before facing Bodo/Glimt.
James Maddison comments on Mathys Tel’s start at Tottenham
Maddison appeared alongside Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham’s presser and was asked a surprise question about his new teammate Tel.
The England international was outright asked if he thought Spurs should spend £45m on Tel this summer to make him a permanent member of their squad.
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Maddison was fairly diplomatic in response, perhaps avoiding a difficult answer to some degree, but he was still very complimentary about the France U21 international.
Maddison praised Tel for being a ‘very direct’ player, and that has been very clear in the Frenchman’s efforts for Tottenham thus far.
Responding to the question of whether Spurs should buy Tel for that amount, Maddison said: “I haven’t got £45m!
“Mathys has been very good since he’s come in. Very direct player. I think he’s done well.
“He hasn’t played a lot but he’s come into the team recently. I’m there on the left and we’ve been developing more of a relationship there.
“Obviously I know what Sonny is going to do there and it’s about learning.”
Signing Tel might be a mistake for Spurs
Given all that Tottenham need to achieve in the transfer market this summer, regardless of who is in charge, spending £45m on Tel might be a mistake.
The youngster has shown a ton of promise at Bayern and now at Spurs — he’s clearly got so much potential.
However, Tottenham already have a young squad and they need players who can make a difference right now, they need to add one or two experienced leaders.
Spurs already spent a significant amount of money on Wilson Odobert to compete with Son Heung-min on the left and signing Tel as well might be ill-advised.
Tel is definitely the kind of player who could go on to succeed elsewhere and leave Tottenham a little red-faced, however, Spurs need to prioritise other areas.
The club need another striker to compete with Solanke and they also need a quality addition for their midfield too.
Tottenham want Mauricio Pochettino and he is excellent at working with young players, but the club will also demand results straight away too.
