Harry Kane is set to prevent his former club Tottenham getting hold of a player they admire this winter, with Mathys Tel reportedly intent on staying at Bayern Munich and continuing his apprenticeship under the England captain. Kane may be quietly pleased to get one over on Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who stepped in to block his desired move to Manchester City two years ago.
Not only did Levy block Kane’s Etihad Stadium switch by demanding £200million for his services, he also dragged the striker’s Bayern Munich transfer saga on until the late stages of this summer by playing hardball with the German giants.
Kane, who tops Tottenham’s all-time scoring charts with 280 goals, has hit the ground running overseas, to the extent that highly-rated teenager Tel is yet to start a single Bundesliga game up top this season.
According to Sky Germany, a host of clubs sought to capitalise on the 18-year-old’s limited game time by proposing a loan move in January. Spurs are known to be admirers of Tel, having attempted to include him in Bayern’s negotiations for Kane.
But the same report states that Tel is keen to remain in Bavaria. And painfully for Tottenham, Kane is a key factor, as his understudy wants to learn from the red-hot frontman in order to take his game to the next level.
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel is therefore in an ideal situation, whereby his starting striker is among the highest scorers in Europe and his back-up, who has notched eight goals and four assists of his own, is satisfied to continue coming off the bench.
Tel came through the Rennes academy, making his debut at the age of 16 and signing for Bayern in 2022. The youngster has kicked on ever since, attracting interest from some of the continent’s biggest clubs and becoming a France Under-21 international.
Spurs opted against signing a direct replacement for Kane in the summer, with manager Ange Postecoglou instead moving Son Heung-min into a central role. The South Korean has repaid the boss’ faith with 10 Premier League goals, but concerns remain over whether the Lilywhites have sufficient cover up top.
Richarlison did his best to ease those fears on Sunday, spearheading Tottenham’s attack and grabbing two goals in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United, with Son putting in a devastating display on the left.
It remains to be seen whether Postecoglou is given funds to enhance his squad in January. With Tel off the table, the north Londoners may have to pursue alternative targets if signing a striker remains a high priority.