Mathys Tel sought wisdom from Harry Kane before making the move to Tottenham.
Tel initially joined Spurs in the winter transfer window on loan from Bayern Munich with an option to buy, which was reduced to around £30million before a permanent deal was agreed in June.
The versatile forward was Tottenham’s second signing of the summer, and returned late to pre-season training after reaching the semi-final with France at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Tel played with Kane in Germany for a year and a half before joining Spurs, and revealed that he had spoken to the England captain about the North London club.
Kane offered Tel support ahead of Tottenham move
Tel is expected to feature for Thomas Frank in one of Spurs’ friendlies on Saturday (26 May), which will give the Dane his first glimpse of the 20-year-old in action.
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The former Rennes player was thrown in the deep end when he initially walked into a Spurs team decimated by injuries last winter, and took some time to find his feet.
Eventually, he became a more consistent threat down the left-hand side, prompting Tottenham to try to bring him in for the long term.
It was a significant move for Tel to make, but he revealed to Sky Sports Germany (25 July) that he had Kane’s support during his decision-making process.
When asked whether he had consulted Kane, Tel responded, “Yes, I spoke to him beforehand; he told me, ‘If you need anything, send me a text, give me a call.’
“I spoke to him; he’s a top guy. [Now it’s time for a] new challenge, I’m ready for my team, the club, and also the fans.”
This will come as no surprise to Tottenham fans, who would have expected nothing less from their all-time top goalscorer than to be helpful and gracious, as he always was during his time in N17.
Tel has high expectations on his shoulders
The expectations on Tel’s shoulders when he arrived were reasonably low, both due to his relative inexperience and the fact that Tottenham’s season was in dire straits.
However, with some Premier League experience under his belt now and working for a manager who specialises in improving wide forwards, the Lilywhites will call for more output from the youngster.
Tel showed flashes of why he was considered a top talent in Europe before his move to Germany, but he will now need to convert those moments into much more consistent performances to justify the faith Spurs have put in him.