Mathys Tel ‘on the radar’ of giants as Tottenham exit looms
Tottenham forward Mathys Tel is wanted by Roma in the January window as uncertainty continues to arise around their pursuit of Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee.
Mathys Tel initially joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich in the last January window after struggling to make an impact for the German giants in the first-half of the season.
Spurs’ deal with Bayern was a loan with a £45million (€55m) option-to-buy him this summer, but while that was not taken up, Tel joined Tottenham on a permanent deal in June after a decent temporary spell at the club.
He has shown glimpses of his talent once more with two goals in 12 appearances this season, but has been reduced to just three Premier League starts so far despite their struggles under Thomas Frank.
Tel was not named in Tottenham’s Champions League squad too, so cannot prove his worth outside of domestic competitions, and could well be on his way out of North London in the new year as a result.
Tel a target for Roma as Man United stall over Joshua Zirkzee move
Football Insider recently revealed that Tottenham do not want to lose Tel in January, but there are fears at the club that he could push for an exit after playing for just 29 minutes across their last six domestic games.
According to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, Roma are tracking Tel’s availability ahead of the new year as he remains “on their radar” with Gian Piero Gasperini aiming to bolster his forward line.
Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee wants to join Roma in January, and the report states that he remains their number one target, but they are still waiting for the Red Devils to agree to a loan with an option-to-buy.
Midtjylland’s Franculino has been linked to Tottenham, and he is also reportedly a target for Roma alongside Tel in the new year amid his standout form in the Danish Superliga.
Thomas Frank has backed Tel to impress but needs to play him more
It is coming up to a year since Tel first joined Spurs and played Premier League football, yet he has not shown a marked improvement and Frank is clearly not convinced that he has what it takes to regularly feature in his side.
The Dane has praised the 20-year-old, however, and seemed to back him to become a key player after his goal against Leeds in October, saying: “I’m so happy. I got emotional almost after the game because he’s a young man who has a strong character and trains well every day.
“Even though he hasn’t played as much, and then I play him as a striker – crazy thoughts by the Head Coach, because maybe he’s better to the left, he can also play there, of course… he’s not involved in the Champions League squad, he just came back.
“I know the little deflection, but it’s a great connection, arriving in the right areas, working hard. I’m just so happy, all the praise.”
The Frenchman has started just once since that game, with Richarlison now clearly ahead of him after finding his shooting boots, while Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons all seem set to be picked before him in the near future.
A move away could definitely be on the cards for Tel, but it remains to be seen what happens with Zirkzee and whether his potential Roma switch has any baring on the Spurs’ attacker’s whereabouts in January.