TOTTENHAM hope to have solved their striker crisis by securing a deal for in-demand Mathys Tel – but could the move backfire?
With Dominic Solanke out for around six weeks through injury and Spurs languishing in 14th in the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou was desperate for some January reinforcements.
And the North Londoners took it right down to the wire as they signed Tel, 19, on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season.
But the move is something of a gamble for Tottenham.
Tel initially rejected the chance to join as he refused to move on a permanent move worth around £50million.
With the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal circling, Spurs refused to give up.
And eventually they managed to lure Tel away from Germany – with the loan costing the club £8.3m.
On top of that, Tottenham will cover £1.7m of Tel’s wages – taking the total outlay to £10m when all is said and done.
With Spurs’ last game of the season expected to be the Premier League finale on May 25, Tel could have just three-and-a-half months of playing time, costing the club around £3m per month.
Tottenham, though, are looking to the future and will have the option to keep Tel permanently for a summer fee of £50m, including add-ons.
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The bad news for Spurs fans is that Tel has made sure HE gets final say – rather than Tottenham chiefs – over whether or not he stays, according to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenburg.
It’s also claimed that while Spurs and Bayern would have preferred an obligation to buy clause, Tel insisted on an optional clause, to give himself some flexibility.
Tel – who is thought to be dating French Miss Universe contestant Indira Ampiot – is yet to score a single goal in 14 appearances for Bayern Munich this season.
And for £10m, it’s got fans talking, with one posting on X: “Bayern gets £10m + a developed striker at the end of the season + increased market valuation in summer. Win for Bayern.”
Another wrote: “Smart move by Tel keeps his future in his own hands while Spurs take the gamble.”
A third added: “Outrageous fees for a forward with no goals this season. Crazy business.”
Another said: “Generational trash deal.”
One even suggested it was “Revenge for Harry Kane drama” after England’s all-time leading scorer eventually bagged his move to the German giants.
A number of Manchester United fans also signalled their relief after missing out on the striker, despite Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund’s combined struggles, and the exit of Marcus Rashford – who joined Aston Villa on loan.
Kane himself has had his say on Tel, revealing: “Mathys is a great young player.
“I’ve worked with him for 18 months. He has a lot of potential, works and trains hard.
“He can still improve, but he has the right mindset.
“My advice is wherever he goes, he should make sure he gets game time and experience.”
Kane had something of a say in the transfer, too – giving Tel some advice on life at Spurs.
Tel said: “[Kane] told me this is a big club with a lot of very good people and the pitch is very nice, the training centre is very good.
“And if you go there, you can enjoy it. So everything was positive from Harry Kane.”
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KATIE TAYLOR praised Micky Ward for “making me fall in love with the sport” while posting a photo with the former Irish boxer.
The American fought from 1985 to 2002, winning the WBU light welterweight title in 2000.
The 59-year-old became renowned for his trilogy of fights against Arturo Gatti.
His career was chronicled in the 2010 film ‘The Fighter’ in which Ward was portrayed by Mark Wahlberg.
On Instagram, Katie Taylor shared a photo of the two together alongside a caption that served as a tribute to him.
She said: “One of the highlights this weekend was meeting and talking with @irishmickyward .
“It’s fighters like him that made me fall in love with the sport! What a legend!“
Taylor, 38, is sizing up her options ahead of what could be another blockbuster year in 2025.
The undisputed super lightweight champion is set for one of two mouth-watering trilogy fights – Chantelle Cameron or Amanda Serrano.
The 38-year-old fought Cameron twice in 2023, both of which being at the 3Arena in Dublin.
She lost the first in May as her English rival retained her undisputed super lightweight titles.
However, six months later, the Bray woman gained revenge by beating Cameron to become a two-weight undisputed world champion.
Taylor has since relinquished her lightweight belts, with Cameron pushing for a third bout since winning the interim WBC belt at 140.
Another option is Amanda Serrano, over whom Taylor holds a 2-0 record after beating her at Madison Square Garden in 2022 and AT&T Stadium last November.
However, Savannah Marshall believes the 2012 Olympic gold medallist would be better off taking the latter as opposed to the former.
She told Razed.com: “I think Katie has a hell of a lot of miles on the clock and I’m quite shocked she is still in the game.
“I would’ve liked to have seen her bow out of the game.
“She made a massive mistake fighting Chantelle Cameron the first time round and got found out.
“The second fight Chantelle nicked it but didn’t get the decision.
“If she is wanting to fight again, it’s better taking someone like Amanda again but it’s another tough fight and does she want to have another tough fight at this stage of her career?
“I don’t think so.”
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