There were projections of a Mathys Tel breakout under Thomas Frank, but the 20-year-old Frenchman has endured a nightmare start to the 2025/26 campaign.
Signing the Rennes prospect permanently was among the first pieces of business conducted by the club during the summer transfer window, after Tel spent the second half of a tumultuous 2024/25 season on loan in N17.
The French U21 international had once been labelled a potentially generation-defining talent, when Bayern Munich paid €28.5 million for the then-17-year-old in 2022. Tel would soon become the great German club's youngest-ever goalscorer, but emerging amid stiff competition in Bavaria was tough for Tel, who also played under three different managers at the Allianz Arena.
The fact Bayern were willing to let the versatile forward depart this summer points towards a lack of belief in regards to Tel fulfilling the potential with which he joined. They made a small profit on him financially, and the forward's talent became Tottenham's to harness for the long haul.
The appointment of Frank was supposed to be the making of Tel in north London, but there's so far been little evidence of the Dane taking to the former Bayern starlet.
Tottenham supporters are silly to write off Mathys Tel
It's been setback after setback for Tel to kick off 2025/26 after he impressed with France's U21s at the European Championships earlier this summer. The 20-year-old manifested his very best form against Denmark in the quarter-finals, scoring an excellent late winner that thrust his side into the last four.
On that occasion, Tel performed a multi-faceted No. 9 role. He was afforded the freedom to drift wherever he fancied, but it was from the left inside channel where the striker delivered the winning moment.
In Ange Postecoglou's 4-3-3, Tel either performed a No. 9 role which was made for Dominic Solanke or was forced to hug the touchline. The in-between stuff that the forward excels out was seldom facilitated, but it was expected that new manager Frank would maximise Tel in the way that so many inside forwards blossomed under his watch.
If you include the UEFA Super Cup, we're just four games into Frank's tenure. Tel is yet to make a start, instead appearing off the bench three times. His cameo against Paris Saint-Germain was a disaster; there's no escaping that, and the youngster was subject to abhorrent online racist abuse in the aftermath. Fortunately, Tel has a wise head on his shoulders.
We're talking about a talent who played four years up when he was emerging in Rennes academy, who often wore the armband at youth level and was the captain of the France U17 side that won the Euros in 2022. His maturity and mentality were on full display when he tried to reason supporters at Craven Cottage last season, not even six weeks into his loan spell.
Mathys Tel is a name we've been familiar with for quite some time, so it's easy to forget just how young he is. Sure, the start to the new season has been far from ideal, and Frank's decision to leave him out of the Champions League league phase squad raised online debates as to why we signed him permanently at all.
Signing day with Kolo Muani 🤳
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 3, 2025
🔹 @AlipayPlus pic.twitter.com/i7Ui9934yd
Ultimately, poor squad planning meant there was going to be a surprise, with a lack of 'club-trained' players reducing Frank's squad size to 22. Wilson Odobert is currently ahead of Tel in the pecking order, while Randal Kolo Muani, who thrives in similar zones to Tel, had muddied the 20-year-old's pathway somewhat.
But missing out on eight league phase games shouldn't come to define Tel's time at Tottenham. I know, given his previous hype and the relatively significant fee we paid to bring him here permanently, that supporters are expecting immediate results, just as they are with Archie Gray.
Development, however, isn't linear. Tel has the raw attributes and mentality to blossom into a star, but the pieces haven't quite fallen into place yet. With Frank and Justin Cochrane at the helm, the Frenchman's in the ideal environment for the buzz of yesteryear to evolve into sustained brilliance.
Harry Kane was Tel's age when he scored his first of 213 Premier League goals. Son Heung-min was four years Tel's senior when he was in Mauricio Pochettino's office after a forgettable debut season, pleading for a return to the the Bundesliga.
A bit of perspective wouldn't go amiss with Mathys Tel.