As the 2024/25 Premier League season winds down for Tottenham and the focus turns solely to the May 21 Europa League Final against Manchester United, about half the players in the first-team squad are playing for their futures at the club.
Perhaps the player in the most precarious position has also been one of the team's most impressive over the last few weeks. Mathys Tel was acquired on loan from Bayern Munich in the winter transfer window, and after an injury to Son Heung-min at the beginning of April, the young Frenchman became the main starting left winger with a huge opportunity to impress.
Tottenham can purchase Tel permanently for 45 million pounds, and while Spurs could negotiate that price down with Bayern since Die Roten puzzlingly don't seem to have any future plans for him, Tel keeps making moves that should entice Tottenham to keep him at the original price if necessary.
Even though Tottenham were embarrassed again on Sunday in the Premier League with a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Tel gave the club even more reasons to keep him around for the foreseeable future.
Mathys Tel was Tottenham's best player vs. Crystal Palace
The 20-year-old left winger was the best player on the pitch in the defeat, particularly when you compare him to the other attacking players. Tel created two chances and won four fouls and made four tackles with three dribbles completed. He played like a man on a mission to not lose, showing more initiative on the attacking end and just as much fight on the defensive end as any Tottenham player.
And once again, Tel made headlines with Spurs fans for actions with the faithful. He was seen humbly signing autographs and interacting with fans as if he were a permanent member of the squad who had been there for years.
Tel is fighting for the team on the pitch with more desire than some of the Tottenham players who have actually been there for years. He's not even technically on the books at the club, yet he is doing everything he can to help even when the result technically doesn't count for anything, as was the case against Crystal Palace.
These are the moments in the season where you see who wants to be here and who doesn't. Tel clearly wants to be a Tottenham player, and I think that's invaluable; it's certainly worth 45 million pounds when the player himself has the upside to be worth double that amount in five years if all goes well.
For all the years Tottenham have spent not believing in talent, not taking risks, and not building a team around players who truly want to build something, Tel is an opportunity to change that narrative. How many big-name loan signings at Tottenham would sign autographs or leap into the stands or do any of the things Tel is doing? If there is any sense in the board room and any sense of fairness at Tottenham Hotspur, Tel will be sealing a move to the club shortly.