Tottenham Hotspur may have endured a miserable start to the new Premier League season, but one of their young attackers has already given Roberto De Zerbi plenty of encouragement.
It has been an excellent transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur so far, with the club spending a record £322m on eight first-team signings, although the two latest ones, Savinho and Omar Marmoush, are yet to be officially announced.
And Spurs may not be finished just yet, with multiple reports suggesting the club could still add another player before the transfer window closes on September 1.
That said, the sheer number of new arrivals has not yet translated into the immediate improvement everyone hoped for, with De Zerbi’s side suffering a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brentford on the opening weekend.
Tottenham struggled to look like a cohesive team throughout the game, something De Zerbi himself admitted afterwards. However, the Italian is confident his players will improve as they spend more time working together.
There were, however, a few positives to take from the defeat.
Mathys Tel leads Premier League dribbling chart
Mathys Tel carried his impressive pre-season form into Tottenham’s Premier League opener but was unfortunately and arguably the only Spurs player to do so.
The 21-year-old looks determined to keep the left wing position for himself amid Tottenham’s continued pursuit of Cody Gakpo, given he was the club’s highest-rated player vs Brentford according to FotMob.
The Frenchman completed 6 dribbles; the most of any player on the pitch, while also creating 2 chances and making 8 defensive contributions.
WhoScored have now confirmed that those 6 successful dribbles were also the most recorded by any player in the Premier League across the opening weekend so far.
Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki, Morgan Gibbs-White, Harry Maguire and Antoine Semenyo are the next four players on the list.
Mathys Tel could be subject of late offers
Tottenham could still receive late offers for several players before the transfer window closes, with Richarlison and Pape Sarr among those attracting interest.
Mathys Tel has surprisingly emerged as another potential departure, with Galatasaray reportedly making enquiries about the Frenchman as they search for cover for Victor Osimhen.
The Turkish champions have even held talks with Tottenham over Tel, and their ‘efforts have intensified’ in recent days, although the former Bayern Munich forward is not currently their priority target.
Real Betis were also linked with a late approach for Tel earlier this month, with the Spanish side believing the youngster has a strong chance of getting regular minutes under Manuel Pellegrini.
Given the form Tel has shown this summer, however, it would be a major surprise if Spurs sanction his departure.