Mathys Tel to Tottenham Hotspur was perhaps the most dramatic story of the winter transfer window, filled with twists and turns, and it has now been revealed that Spurs legend Harry Kane played a pivotal role.
Tottenham seal last-gasp deadline day deal for Mathys Tel
Last week, news came to light that Tel rejected a move to Tottenham, despite chairman Daniel Levy flying to Munich and holding talks with the Frenchman.
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Spurs made an ambitious swoop for the England international.
In what was a public snubbing of the club’s advances, that appeared to be the end of Ange Postecoglou‘s hopes of landing Tel, but in a sensational deadline day twist, the teenager pulled a very late U-turn.
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Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
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Man United (home) |
February 16th |
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Ipswich Town (home) |
February 22nd |
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Man City (home) |
February 26th |
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Bournemouth (home) |
March 9th |
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Fulham (away) |
March 16th |
This is thought to be largely down to the Lilywhites manager, who personally rang the 19-year-old and convinced him to make the move after all – with Spurs sealing a loan deal with an option to buy for around £50 million.
L’Equipe reporter Loic Tanzi, via The Spurs Express, shared just how Postecoglou did manage to tempt Tel with a Tottenham transfer.
“Daniel Levy flew to Munich last week because Johan Lange feared that his meeting and presentation with Mathys Tel didn’t have the desired impact,” said Tanzi.
“After meeting with Levy, Tel communicated that he wasn’t going to join Spurs. It was as much about showing that he wouldn’t be forced into something by Bayern as it was about not being convinced by Spurs. Sunday evening, Ange Postecoglou spoke with Tel over the phone. Postecoglou put forward how he planed to use Tel, expressed how much he valued Tel’s versatility and speed, and expressed that he thought Tel could torment Premier League defences with his qualities.
“It was a long and concrete speech, and it ‘scored points’ with Tel, who appreciated the coach focusing on his plans for him on the pitch, as opposed to the ‘project’ that the management tried to sway him with. Monday morning, the player decided he was going to Tottenham.”
Tottenham also held talks to sign Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, but eventually cooled their interest in the Premier League forward and landed on an unexpected, last-gasp agreement for Tel in a serious boost for Postecoglou.
Mathys Tel reveals Harry Kane role in transfer to Tottenham
Now, speaking to the club’s official website, as transcribed by The Daily Mail, the France Under-21 international has also shared the exact words Kane said to him which helped to push him towards N17.
In a sit down with Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer, Kane apparently endorsed the size of the club, their fantastic facilities and how many useful people there are behind-the-scenes – with the England star’s “positive” message also helping to convince Tel.
“He told me this is a big club with a lot of very good people,” said Tel. “The pitch is very nice, the training centre is very good and if you go there you can enjoy it. Everything was positive from Harry Kane.”
The versatile young attacker scored 10 goals and bagged a further six assists in all competitions last season, with Postecoglou hoping he can replicate those numbers in England.
