Thomas Frank has been impressed with both Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert at Tottenham, but he admits there is one challenge he has to deal with regarding the pair.
Neither Tel nor Odobert have pulled up any trees since arriving at Spurs, with Tottenham fans still waiting for the pair to deliver that statement performance which gets people to stand up and take notice.
Tel was even left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad for the league phase, which perhaps is an indication of how further down Thomas Frank’s pecking order the former Bayern Munich man is.
Tel admitted that he is disappointed but vowed to come back in the best way possible, and he has been getting opportunities domestically, having featured in three of Tottenham’s five Premier League matches this season.
Thomas Frank is a fan of both Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel at Tottenham
The Tottenham head coach describes both French youngsters as ‘exciting’ and suggested that both players have some very good attributes.
However, he admitted that both Tel and Odobert are at their best on the left, describing it as a ‘challenge’ he has to overcome.
When asked about the two French Under-21 stars, Frank responded (via Football.London): “Both of them are exciting and good players. Let’s start with Wilson. I think his game against Brighton was promising. I liked the variation in his game so he could go on the outside and produce a cross with his left foot. He could go inside and cut across. He combined nicely.
“Good link-up play as well, good understanding of his team-mates, worked hard. Probably a little bit of… I hate to say end product, I don’t want to say that so I’ll say arriving in the box. That’s where he’ll score most of the goals. I think he’s in a good place.
“Mathys, the same. I like what I’ve seen so much in training. I think he played a decent game against West Ham as a striker. Maybe both of them are best to the left so that gives me a nice challenge in terms of that. What I’m convinced about is that Tottenham have two very good players that I am very convinced will be very good for us over the next years.”
Spurs fans are forgetting one important factor with Tel and Odobert
The French duo have come under plenty of criticism from the Tottenham fan base, with many supporters already writing them off.
However, many do not realise just how young the pair are, with Tel having only turned 20 a few months ago and Odobert only turning 21 in November.
Both players are younger than Dane Scarlett and are the same age as Will Lankshear. Not everyone matures as early as Lucas Bergvall does, and it is worth remembering that even Harry Kane struggled to break into the Tottenham side until he turned 21.