Mathys Tel, the 20-year-old French forward (signed permanently from Bayern Munich for around £30m in summer 2025 after an initial loan), has shown glimpses of real quality when given chances. In recent games, he’s impressed off the bench or in starts, including scoring and contributing positively when deployed in his preferred positions (like a left-winger or forward roles).
Frank himself has acknowledged this, saying things like:
“Mathys has done very well in the last couple of games… if I could pick from all the players that are fit, he would start tomorrow.”
Frank was also untroubled when explaining substituting Tel against West Ham.
“Yeah, but I need to take decisions, of course. So I had to take one offensive player off. And I feel Wilson is a bit better to the right and wanted two strikers on the pitch. So that was the decision. There was nothing wrong with Mathys’ performance.”
However, recent developments (as of mid-January 2026) show clear signs of frustration: He has grown dissatisfied with his limited game time under manager Thomas Frank.
Earlier in January, Tel informed the club he was open to leaving on loan in the January transfer window to get more minutes.
Speaking on Monday, Frank confirmed Mathys Tel has once again left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad for the second half of the season.
🚨⚠️ Tottenham manager Thomas Frank excludes again Mathys Tel from Champions League squad list.
Frank makes space for Dominic Solanke and the only way was to remove Tel.
❗️ The French striker and his camp, not happy at all with the decision. pic.twitter.com/vXK9SemArb
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 19, 2026
Reliable sources like Fabrizio Romano and others report that Tel and his camp are “not happy at all” with this repeated exclusion, describing it as surprising and leading to growing tensions.
There’s speculation this could push him toward an exit, with interest from clubs like Paris FC, Napoli, and others for a loan move. Spurs reportedly prefer to keep him but are facing internal pressure amid broader team struggles (e.g., poor Premier League form and fan unrest toward Frank).
While Frank was initially positive about the move and has shown flashes of quality (including helping Spurs in Europe previously), the current situation—lack of consistent minutes, repeated squad omissions, and no assurances on playing time—has left him frustrated and open to leaving for more opportunities.
I take the view that Frank doesn’t rate the player. I’d say that’s obvious, but does that mean he has better options elsewhere? Perhaps he does not!
