Harry Kane will prevent his former club Tottenham from getting a player he admires in the winter, as Mathys Tel is reportedly planning to stay at Bayern Munich and continue his training under the England captain.
Kane may be quietly pleased to have gained an advantage over Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who prevented his desired transfer to Manchester City two years ago.
Levy not only prevented Kane’s transfer to the Etihad Stadium by demanding £200 million for his services, but also dragged out the saga of the striker’s transfer to Bayern Munich until the late stages of this summer by playing hardball with the German giants.
Kane, who tops Tottenham’s all-time goalscoring chart with 280, has made such a name for himself abroad that prized teenager Tel has yet to start a single Bundesliga game this season.
According to Sky Germany, a number of clubs have tried to take advantage of the 18-year-old’s limited playing time by offering him on loan in January. Spurs are known to be admirers of Tel and have tried to involve him in Bayern’s negotiations for Kane.
However, the same report states that Tel wants to stay in Bavaria. For Tottenham, however, it is painful that Kane is a key factor, as its passer wants to learn from the Reds frontman to raise his game to a higher level.
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel is therefore in an ideal position as his first choice striker is among the top scorers in Europe and his protégé, who has scored eight goals and four assists, is happy to keep coming off the bench.
Tel came through Rennes’ academy, made his debut at 16 and signed for Bayern in 2022. Since then, the youngster has progressed through the ranks, attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs on the continent and becoming a France Under-21 international.
Spurs did not decide to sign a direct replacement for Kane in the summer, instead manager Ange Postecoglou moved Son Heung-Min into a central role. The South Korean has restored the boss’ confidence with ten Premier League goals, but there is still a question mark over whether the Lilywhites have sufficient cover at the top.
Richarlison did his best to allay those fears on Sunday as he led Tottenham’s attack and scored two goals in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United, with Son putting in a devastating performance down the left.
It remains to be seen whether Postecoglou will get the funds to strengthen his squad in January. With Tel unavailable, the north Londoners may have to reach for other targets if signing a striker is still a priority.