Mathys Tel has had a difficult few months since his permanent move to Tottenham was confirmed.
The Frenchman was on loan with the Lilywhites from Bayern Munich in the second half of last season, and it was turned into a permanent switch for a fee of around £30million in the early stages of the summer.
Tel has since struggled to break into the Tottenham team and has been forced to settle for largely substitute minutes in the opening few Premier League games.
Thomas Frank’s men have made an encouraging start to the campaign, but there is not quite the same level of positivity surrounding Tel at the moment.
This article includes exclusive comment from former Tottenham scout Bryan King.
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Mathys Tel and Thomas Frank issue could prompt loan exit
Tel’s future at Tottenham has come under scrutiny in the last week, following the confirmation that the forward has been left out of the squad for the Champions League.
Frank has since handed the 20-year-old the opportunity to start in the win over West Ham, but there is no getting away from the fact that he has still dealt a crushing blow to the youngster.
A lack of ‘club-trained’ players at Spurs made it a challenging selection for the boss, but it was telling that Tel was one of those whom he opted to omit.
Ex-Spurs scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes that there could be an ongoing issue between the pair, and that may result in Tel heading for the exit in January.
“I could see Tel making a loan move,” King said.
“I can’t see the point of paying £30m for a player and then not including him in the Champions League squad.
“There’s obviously more there than what we’ve seen for Frank to make a decision like that.
“Something’s obviously not right between the two of them.”
Tottenham shouldn’t write Mathys Tel off
Tel’s future at Tottenham may be looking fairly bleak at the moment, but it is important that they don’t cast the youngster aside too early in his stint in England.
He undoubtedly has talent, and a loan move could actually be the ideal way for him to continue in the next stage of his development, especially if a deal could be agreed to see him remain in the Premier League.
If Spurs could strike a deal with a team in the bottom half of the table, it would ease the pressure on the attacker and allow him to settle into English football a little more.
There could be a temptation to try and sell Tel permanently in January if things do not improve, but the North Londoners need to avoid that eventuality at all costs.