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Ange Postecoglou reaffirmed his belief that Mathys Tel wants to be a Tottenham player after completing his loan move from Bayern Munich on deadline day.
Tel was one of four new arrivals at the club during the January window, following Antonin Kinsky, Min-hyeok Yang and Kevin Danso through the doors in north London.
The 19-year-old was of interest to several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Arsenal, but chose to link up with Spurs for the rest of the season.
But reports suggested prior to his switch to Tottenham that Tel had declined the chance to join the club before making a U-turn on his decision at the final hour.
Tottenham also have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer for €55million (£45.7m) on a six-year contract should he impress during his time with Postecoglou.
The Frenchman bolsters Tottenham’s attacking ranks, with Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Wilson Odobert all currently out injured.
Postecoglou was posed a question about whether Tel wanted to be at the club, and the Tottenham boss was quick to confirm the teenager is relishing his loan spell with his team.
“I am more than 100% sure that he wants to be here,” Postecoglou told reporters on Wednesday.
“He was so diligent when he made the decision that it gave me even more confidence that we were getting the right kind of mentality and player. He is very ambitious.
“He has a great deal of self-belief and confidence, and it feels like he can reach the very top of the game.”
Welcome to Spurs, Mathys pic.twitter.com/FZ6zXVNeAu
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 4, 2025
“People need to understand that you are talking about a 19-year-old who has to make a major decision for his career, and it’s not that he rejected us or anyone else,” he added.
“I think he just wanted to be comfortable with his decision. I don’t think he wanted to be pushed in a certain direction, and it’s a credit to him.
“I had a conversation with him, and it was purely around football and I think he’ll find a really good place for him here. Irrespective of age, he will get an opportunity here.
“The way we play I think will suit him and what we are building beyond – I thought this would be the perfect fit for his next step. I think it’s right that he took time in his decision.”
Postecoglou was speaking ahead of Tottenham’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool on Thursday, a match they hold a 1-0 lead in.
Tottenham, however, have been eliminated three of the last five times they’ve won the first leg of an EFL Cup semi-final, most recently against Chelsea in 2018-19.
No side has been eliminated at this stage of the competition having won the first leg more (Ipswich Town also three).
Tottenham are also looking to beat Liverpool twice in the same season for the first time since 2010-11, when they did the double over them in the Premier League.
Postecoglou’s side are handed just an 11.2% chance by Opta’s data-led simulations of winning at Anfield, but he believes that Liverpool will also be feeling nervous ahead of the contest.
“It’s a big occasion for everyone. It’s a semi-final. I don’t think Liverpool will be any less anxious than us. It’s a big game for both clubs,” Postecoglou concluded.
“You recognise that, you embrace that, but ultimately, you want to be successful.
“These are the games that you want to be involved with because the alternative is, you’ll be at home on the couch watching two other teams on the TV wishing you were there.”
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