Mathys Tel’s first year at Tottenham Hotspur has come with its challenges, but the forward has felt supported by one of his former teammates.
It has been almost a full year since Mathys Tel joined Tottenham Hotspur on an initial loan move. However, he has only started a handful of matches during this period of time.
Tel was even left out of Thomas Frank’s Champions League squad, although he has since been brought in to replace the injured Dominic Solanke.
The France under-21s international came off the bench against Slavia Prague, but was unable to register a goal contribution. Despite this, he should have no lack of confidence, having found the back of the net twice in the Premier League this season.
Mathys Tel is in regular contact with Tottenham legend Heung-min Son
Tel only played with Heung-min Son at Spurs for a few months and the pair were rarely on the pitch at the same time, because Ange Postecoglou used both players as left wingers.
However, Tel has revealed that Son still messages him regularly and he has even described his former captain as a ‘big brother’ figure.
He told France 24: “Sonny is like my big brother. He is always texting me, his support is always behind me, so back in the Champions League, we won and Sonny was there… a lot of good things.
“Sonny is a big legend at Tottenham, so when a guy like Sonny comes after he did everything, you give everything for him.”
Tel is not getting a fair chance at Spurs
It would be understandable if Tel feels frustrated by his lack of game time at Tottenham. The 20-year-old was given chances when he was not performing, yet when he began to show more promise, he was taken out of the first-team.
There is competition with Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani favoured more highly than Tel. However, Thomas Frank must be careful not to overprioritise two players who might now have a long-term future at the club over a prospect who could become his star striker in the future.
Hopefully Tel will remain patient and wait for his opportunities without complaining, as Son also did in his first season at the club. Eventually, the starts should come if he keeps working hard.
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