There's no overlooking Mathys Tel's struggles at the start of the 2025/26 season, but the young French forward has vowed to improve a key part of his game in response to a social media comment.
Spurs opted to sign the talented Frenchman permanently in the summer, off the back of a six-month loan spell which merely flashed Tel's distinct talent.
The Rennes academy graduate had failed to make the grade at Bayern Munich despite arriving with huge promise, with Tel ultimately succumbing to the stiff competition for places. Moreover, it's not yet clear what the 20-year-old's best role is.
While new Spurs boss Thomas Frank has an impressive track record of maximising Tel-like profiles, the forward has endured a tough start to the Dane's tenure, and his woes continued on Wednesday night, as he whiffed a couple of big chances in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Doncaster Rovers.
Mathys Tel responds to social media comment with promise
While Tel's overall performance was anything but disastrous, the 20-year-old did have a bit of a mare in front of goal. Most notably, the striker completely miskicked two presentable chances.
The first whiff was a lack of anticipation after the defender missed his interception, and the second depicted his desperation to find the back of the net. Brennan Johnson did superbly well to burst down the right and cut it back for Tel, who moved well off the left to find the space in the box. However, he failed to make contact with his stronger right foot.
Those two sequences were enough to confirm, for some, that Tel will never deliver on his potential in N17. However, there's undoubtedly reason to believe in the Frenchman.
On his more personal Instagram account, @therealtel, the forward responded to a comment on his latest post after the Doncaster win, which read, "Yess Mathys but pls work that finishing." A white heart emoji accompanied the message, emphasising its supposedly kind intentions.
"I will." Tel responded.
The 20-year-old is a wonderful ball striker who's deadly in front of goal when he's purring. He's entered the phase of 'needing one to go in off his backside' to potentially spark something at his new home, with Tel's desperation for a goal only likely to compound his current issues.
However, there's no doubting that there's a supreme finisher inside Mathys Tel, and the kid's fierce mentality means it surely won't be long until those who have so quickly written him off are eating their words.