Mathys Tel has endured a turbulent time at Tottenham, but his head coach clearly has his back.
The Lilywhites signed the Frenchman for a fee of around £30million from Bayern Munich this summer, turning his loan switch into a permanent one.
Thomas Frank has given Tel opportunities to impress this season, but has struggled to make any kind of impact.
Frank praised the forward after his showing in the Carabao Cup against Doncaster Rovers despite missing several chances.
Here, Tottenham News looks back at all the things the Dane has said about Tel since joining the North London club.
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What Thomas Frank said about Mathys Tel after Tottenham vs Doncaster Rovers
Frank gave his fringe players the chance to impress in the Carabao Cup as Tottenham strolled to a 3-0 win over Doncaster.
Indeed, some of those players impressed, with Archie Gray delivering an inspiring performance, but the same could not be said of Tel.
The 20-year-old could have scored several goals during his 87-minute outing, but was unable to make a notable impact.
“I don’t think he’s had a bad run, if I’m honest,” Frank said on 24 September when asked about the 20-year-old’s display.
“He played striker against West Ham, which I think he did quite well. Worked very hard for him to arrive in the right areas, which I think he did today. In terms of performance, that was a step up.
“Then we can look at the end product to score the goal, but the performance to arrive in the box, I was very happy with. Just close with the first ball from Brennan, ready for the cutback.
“Second half got in there on two other good situations and had a nice shot. I think it was a step up in terms of performance.”
Thomas Frank hails Mathys Tel as a ‘goalscorer’ after Tottenham transfer
Tel did little to convince during his Spurs loan spell, but the Lilywhites still decided to sign him.
Given that he is 20 and a regular for the France under-21s, the North London club certainly see potential in the forward, even if he is misfiring.
When Tottenham signed Tel over the summer, Frank was keen to laud him, highlighting his threat and versatility.
“Very, very excited about Mathys signing with a permanent deal,” he said via Spurs Play in June.
“I think he’s a very talented player who can play across the front four positions.
“He’s a goalscorer that we can develop even further to be more consistent in his all-round game, but also to more consistently land in the right positions in the box. So I’m looking forward to it.”
What Thomas Frank said about Mathys Tel after Champions League omission
Frank left Tel out of his Champions League squad, which was an early blow to the Frenchman’s 2025/26 campaign.
Of course, given the strength in depth that the former Brentford boss has, he was always going to disappoint someone.
“That was an extremely difficult decision,” Frank told Tottenham’s official website in mid-September.
“I also think in many ways it was a bit unfair. The UEFA lists are not big enough. The load is getting more and more on the players. We need a bigger squad. I cannot understand why we need to limit ourselves.
“I needed to name it before I really knew Matty [Tel]. I think the way he handled it was extremely mature. It was really impressive.”
While it feels like a long way back for Tel, his manager is clearly going to back him publicly when it matters.