Highly rated French forward Mathys Tel joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich on Tuesday after falling out of favour at the German powerhouse.
The 19-year-old Tel was the subject of reported interest from clubs including Manchester United, Marseille and Chelsea.
He's joined Spurs to the end of the season and the Premier League club has the option to make the deal permanent next season.
Reports say Tottenham had tried to lure the teen on a permanent deal but he rejected the approach as recently as Saturday.
Aussie manager Ange Postecoglou then reportedly had a Zoom call with Tel where he convinced the prodigy to join his Spurs.
"The teenager liked what he heard, and changed his mind," Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge said on Tuesday.
Mathys Tel of Bayern Munich. Getty
The Spurs posted a video to social media featuring Tel simply saying, "I'm hungry, let's eat".
Postecoglou has been under immense pressure as his Spurs endured a seven-week Premier League losing streak, which was broken on Monday.
Tottenham remains alive in the Europa League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup.
While it is a loan deal for now, there is reportedly an option for Spurs to secure Tel on a six-year contract worth about
Spurs said the move was subject to international clearance and a work permit.
Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund previously said the club planned to keep the forward, whom he described as a “very important player".
But Tel’s lack of playing time — just 14 appearances across all competitions and none for a full game — left Freund with few arguments against letting the player show his worth somewhere else.
Tel was 17 when Bayern signed the forward from French club Rennes for a reported fee of up to 30 million euros ($49.8m) in July 2022.
He became Bayern’s youngest ever goal-scorer in a German Cup game that August aged 17 years, 126 days, breaking a record held by teammate Jamal Musiala.
Tel went on to score five goals in 22 Bundesliga appearances in his first season, then seven in 30 appearances last season.
But he has struggled for playing time under new coach Vincent Kompany, who has preferred to play Musiala further forward when England star Harry Kane has been out.
Tel made a rare start alongside Kane against Borussia Dortmund in November, but failed to score and was taken off again for Kingsley Coman with around half an hour remaining.
He’s yet to score a goal in any competition this season.
– with Simon Brunsdon
