Paul Merson thinks Tottenham have walked into a big transfer mistake as 'don't play' claim made

Tottenham’s deadline day signing of Bayern Munich starlet Mathys Tel raised plenty of eye brows, and for the most part, due to reports that preceded the signing. Before Spurs agreed a deal to land Tel on a loan deal with an option to buy worth around £45million, it was reported that the 19-year-old did not want to join the North London club, preferring a move elsewhere.

It seems a chat with Ange Postecoglou changed all that, and Spurs now have themselves a much-needed attacking addition amid injuries to Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Richarlison, although some of those will be back before others.

On the back of reports that Tel did not want to join initially, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has said: “The Spurs fans won’t be happy with Mathys Tel. As soon as they heard that he didn’t want to join and those three other clubs then didn’t come in for him and then he ends up at Tottenham, the fans won’t be happy with that.

“That’s if Heung-Min Son can get back to his best – I don’t think he’s hit the heights of a few years ago. Dejan Kulusevski, I think he gets into every Premier League team in the country at the moment. Then you have Dominic Solanke, who is injured. But Tottenham don’t have the money to bring people in for £100,000-a-week for six months and then when everyone is back, they don’t play.”

Meanwhile, Postecoglou is confident that Tel will play a part in the short and long-term for Tottenham, telling Sky Sports: “He will play a significant part in our end to the season for sure and beyond. He wants to make an impact and I expect him to do that. He will be a Tottenham player. I think he will show everyone he will be a Tottenham player in the next six months. I didn't bring him here for six months."

Postecoglou on his Tel chat

Postecoglou also spoke about his chat with Tel, the one that appeared to convince the winger to make the move to North London. He added: “There is something to be said for honesty and integrity. I think I have a pretty compelling story to tell because I think when I speak to players, I am not trying to sell anything that there isn't plenty of evidence for.

"It is not about smooth talking or selling. There is a good story here that I really believe in. I speak from a strong conviction that what I am saying will come to fruition."

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