It was telling that Roberto De Zerbi was quick to heap praise on Mathys Tel in his first press conference as Tottenham Hotspur boss.
“I know Mathys Tel, I wanted him in Marseille when I was there,” said the Italian. Those comments suggested that the young forward would go on to play a crucial role in this brave new era in North London, but instead, he has remained rooted to the substitutes’ bench.
It beggars belief why he has not been trusted more. Tel is everything that Spurs haven’t been. He is athletic, explosive and relentless in his work rate across the frontline, making him a complete – and much-needed – contrast to the wider club’s failings this season.
The sheer size of the task De Zerbi has inherited should not be forgotten. He now presides over a squad battered and bruised, and dangerously low on confidence. Their winless run in the league stands at 15 matches, one short of their worst-ever streak set 91 years ago.
But he only has himself to blame for not starting Tel in the defeat by Sunderland and the draw with Brighton, two damaging results that leave Spurs teetering over the trap door.
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Why isn’t Mathys Tel playing more for Tottenham?
De Zerbi’s reason for not giving Tel more minutes appears to be simple.
He has made Dominic Solanke his first-choice No 9 and has so far been inclined to opt for other forwards over Tel out wide. “Dominic Solanke is one of the best strikers in the Premier League,” was De Zerbi’s bullish verdict ahead of the 2-2 draw with Brighton last time out.
Those words haven’t quite married up to reality, making it all the more mind-boggling that Tel hasn’t been given more opportunities to make the shirt his own. The 20-year-old offers versatility in multiple positions and is capable of both scoring and creating goals.
De Zerbi is known to value speed and athleticism up front, with his preferred style of play centred on drawing out opponents before exploiting the space in behind. This appears to make Tel the ideal fit, but he has been forced to watch on while his team-mates have toiled.
Tel has certainly fallen victim to the frequent changes at the club.
Under Thomas Frank, he found himself stuck behind Randal Kolo Muani, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson, who was sold to Crystal Palace in January. He had arrived from Bayern Munich initially on loan, in a deal that contained an option to buy for around £48million.
Despite him being unable to impress during Ange Postecoglou‘s tenure, Spurs renegotiated with the Bundesliga giants and signed Tel permanently. By the time this happened, though, the Australian had been dismissed, with Frank chosen as his successor.
His woes have not abated even after the arrivals of Igor Tudor and, later, De Zerbi.
Tel remains determined to prove himself at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and is believed to see his future on the left wing. The fact that he has all too often flitted between the flanks, to the No 9 spot and then across to the bench hasn’t aided his cause.
His statistics this campaign suggest he should be given a more prominent role by De Zerbi.
Tel has made 26 appearances in the Premier League to date this term, starting just nine of them, while he has scored three goals and failed to record an assist. Naturally, these are underwhelming numbers, but he will be the first to argue that there are mitigating factors.
Indeed, his average of 38 minutes per game is preventing him from building up rhythm and confidence, not that you’d know it from his eye-catching 55 per cent dribble success rate.
Tel averages 1.0 shots per game, hardly a surprise due to Spurs’ insistence on only playing him out wide, while his expected assists tally stands at 1.43. He does, though, have a passing accuracy of 76 per cent, which must be improved.
Spurs need Tel inspiration
While it is true that Tel has relied on fleeting moments since arriving at Spurs, they are in desperate need of ingenuity. This maverick would be able to offer that in spades.
De Zerbi has helped to knit together a wounded dressing room and instilled the foundations for the fight against the dying light, but going back to basics will not decide matches alone. Tottenham will still need someone to fashion chances or put them away.
Tel seemingly ticks both of these boxes and should, therefore, be thrust back into the firing line for the must-win trip to basement club Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
Damningly, only Sheffield Wednesday, the Championship’s rock-bottom minnows, have picked up fewer points (four) than Spurs (six) across the top four leagues in 2026.
Tel’s limited minutes have coincided with this, so De Zerbi would do well to turn to him to bail his side out of a hole. Whether Spurs stay up may well depend on it.
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