Mathys Tel will be hoping for a breakout season at Tottenham Hotspur following his permanent move from Bayern Munich.
Tel impressed for France U-21 at the European Championships earlier this summer as he helped the young French team reach the semi-finals.
Jermain Defoe hailed Tel’s performances at the tournament and even compared him to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
The striker could now hand Thomas Frank a major boost in the transfer market following the role he has been playing during pre-season.
Mathys Tel could become Tottenham’s backup option
Mathys Tel could be about to save Tottenham Hotspur a lot of money, having featured in the number nine role throughout pre-season.
TBR Football understands that Tottenham remain in the race to sign Yoane Wissa, despite Newcastle United leading the race.
Wissa is valued at £50m by Brentford, which would be a big investment, especially for Spurs, where he’d be coming in as a backup option.
That money could certainly be better invested elsewhere at Spurs, given their deficiencies in other areas, so Frank should be looking internally for a Dominic Solanke backup.
Richarlison could be that player, but given his injury record and doubts over his future in North London, Frank may need to look elsewhere.
Against Arsenal, Tel was introduced for the Brazilian playing in the number nine role, and he could be just the answer to Spurs’ need for another number nine.
The 20-year-old had a promising 26-minute cameo against the Gunners, almost setting up Micky van de Ven for a second Spurs goal.
Tottenham signed Tel for £30m earlier this summer after Frank gave the deal the green light, and he could play a big role at Spurs next season.
It’s understood that Frank is excited to work with Tel and given his previous work with attackers at Brentford, that could be great news for the Frenchman.
Thomas Frank could repeat Watkins and Wissa trick with Mathys Tel
Tel would not be the first winger Frank will have converted to a number nine, having done the same with Ollie Watkins and Yoane Wissa.
Both players arrived in West London as wingers, and the Danish head coach transformed the pair into top strikers.
Wissa netted 19 goals for the Bees last season, meanwhile, Watkins scored 16 times for Aston Villa and is now linked with Manchester United.
Frank’s track record for developing forwards will have been a key selling point in his being brought to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tel is a player with huge potential and getting to work with a coach like Frank and his team could do him wonders.