Tottenham Hotspur are looking to shake off their first bad performance of the season, and there's no better team for them to make a statement against than reeling rivals West Ham United this weekend in what should be a big-time "revenge" matchup for new winger Mohammed Kudus.
The Ghanaian international has already made the right side of the flank his home, but Spurs have concerns on the left side of the formation. They lost legend Son Heung-min to MLS and didn't sign a top left winger, but they did make the Mathys Tel move from Bayern Munich permanent.
Tel has struggled to start the 2025/26 season, and he's not showing the same spark he did at the end of the 2024/25 campaign when he played a role in Spurs capturing a historic Europa League title. The Frenchman has shown sparks of creating chances, but he's been inconsistent and has lacked his usual dynamism in one-on-ones.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank even snubbed Tel from the Champions League squad, which sent shockwaves across the fanbase. Some felt it was deserved based on his recent play while others see his talent, potential, and the fact that they don't actually have a better option on the left wing.
Tottenham need to back their young
But how does Frank feel about Tel after leaving him off this important squad? He had nothing but kind words to say about the young forward, praising the top prospect for how he handled being left off, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:
“The way he handled it, the way he trains, everything about him, extremely impressive.”
Although Tel hasn't gotten off to the best start this season, it's only been a total of four games if you count the UEFA Supercup debacle. Tel was better in a bigger sample size last season, and while that really wasn't a big sample either, that only reenforces the point that Tel is still a growing player.
Tottenham and even its fanbase have made the mistake of not nurturing young talent enough, and that's part of why the club has underperformed. Their best periods, like under Mauricio Pochettino, are when they believe in their guys and give them grace. Ange Postecoglou was the same way, whereas coaches like Antonio Conte were not and that's why they failed miserably despite their pedigree.
Frank is more in the Pochettino and Postecoglou mold, albeit with the tactical acumen to rival the likes of Conte and Jose Mourinho. Tel is in good hands, and Frank, at this same press conference, made remarks indicating he's more upset about the stringent Champions League squad rules than anything Tel did.