Mathys Tel is just five games into his Tottenham Hotspur career but is already finding out how quickly Premier League players are judged.
The 19-year-old arrived from Bayern Munich in the winter window on loan with an option that Ange Postecoglou made it very clear will be taken up and Tel will become a Spurs player for years to come. The teenager scored in his second game, with a volley at Aston Villa in the FA Cup, but has found it difficult in a lone front man role in his three Premier League matches since.
The Frenchman is getting used to the fast and physical nature of the Premier League and being so young, he will be going through the same adaptation process as fellow new teenage arrivals this season like Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, regardless of his extra experience in Germany. Tel is already finding himself on the end of some social media criticism for his performances but it is still very early days.
“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,’ said Postecoglou this week. “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. We’ve thrown him in and kept him in there because I want to build up his fitness.”
He added: “He’s a different type [to Dominic Solanke]. I see in him the outstanding attributes to be a really good number nine, and he can play wide as well. In training his movements are becoming a bit more fluent. He’s getting used to the way we play and the level of competition.
“What I do love is that he’s a hard worker. Watch him in games, he’s closing people down, he’s doing the things we need him to do. He may not be getting goals and 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.”
Our Spurs correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest discussed Tel’s performances and early weeks in north London as well as plenty more in the latest episode of their podcast Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. You can listen to the latest show by heading right here or you can watch it on YouTube by going right here.
Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.
Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link. If you’re curious you can check out our privacy policy here.
