Mathys Tel is a cut above his attacking teammates | OneFootball

2024-25 has been a strange season for Tottenham in many ways. A few outstanding results (thinking 4-0 vs. Manchester City and 3-0 vs Manchester United, both away), some bizarre high-scoring games (4-3 vs Man United, 3-4 vs Chelsea and 3-6 vs Liverpool, all at home), but mostly poor results, disjointed performances, and a truly awful league position, which in many other seasons would have put us firmly in a relegation scrap.

Among the oddities, our attack particularly stands out. After 33 Premier League games, only 4 teams have scored more goals. Of those teams, only Liverpool scored significantly more. We have scored 27 more goals than Everton yet have 1 fewer point. There are many ways to look at it, all of which reflect a genuine strangeness about what has happened.

Our attack has simultaneously managed to score lots of goals, yet also on many occasions look very ineffective. In our most recent game vs Forest, I was not surprised at 2-0 down when we scored, but I also had very little faith in us converting chances when they came our way. Brennan Johnson, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke and even Son Heung-min often do not appear convincing in front of goal this season. Also, games like AZ Alkmaar away, where we barely threaten the opposition goal for prolonged periods, have become increasingly common as the season has worn on.

Mathys Tel plays with good vision

Mathys Tel was signed in January to improve our attack and to cover injuries at the time. Opinions often seem split on Tel’s performances so far, and it is unclear what will happen once his loan expires. Given his age, however, and the fact he has joined a struggling team that has often lacked cohesion, his return should be put into context.

Tel plays with quickness and appears to have a vision on the field that his Spurs teammates have struggled to show this season. The phrase “football brain” is not heard as often as in the past, but it is a key component of an effective player and is one of those things that is difficult to teach. It is a phrase that just means how someone sees the field, the game, the positions of their teammates, the choice of pass to make, the timing of the run.

The Frenchman's has not been anything special (and I’m not sure his goal at Wolves was something he knew too much about, but you have to be in the spot to score) but he is showing enough in how he sees the game to indicate that there is a player there with a lot of potential. His link-up play on the wing with Djed Spence in the first half vs. Nottingham Forest looked our main threat and it was his best performance in a Spurs shirt to date. He did hit wide a good chance in that half, but the overall performance has reason for optimism.

Tottenham won't want to wonder 'What if?'

Despite an inconsistent time, Tel is giving us (or can give us) something that we are not seeing from his attacking teammates. The price tag with Bayern will be a concern but at some point, Tottenham need to accept the going rate for players is what it is, especially for players like Tel who have potential and are currently at big clubs who are under no pressure to sell.