Tottenham could deny Ange Postecoglou's £45m transfer wish as club hatch alternative plan

Tottenham may face a complicated path to sign loan spar Mathys Tel despite having an option to buy the attacker. It’s been a nightmare campaign for Spurs, but they do still have one remaining lifeline in the form of the Europa League.

With Ange Postecoglou still fighting to keep his job, Tottenham can qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League, but they must first come through a quarter final second leg with Eintracht Frankfurt, heading to Germany on level terms having been left frustrated in the home leg despite a strong performance.

Postecoglou’s position is tenuous to say the least, and it’s looking likely he will be cut lose after this season, with his relationship with the fans souring, while any recent momentum was dashed by a 4-2 defeat to strugglers Wolves over the weekend.

The one positive during that game was that January loan signing Tel got on the scoresheet, scoring his third goal since arriving at the North London club from Bayern Munich. Tel has been used regularly between starts and substitute appearances, but his impact has not been sizable - not that it was expected to be.

Spurs always knew they were signing a young talent, with Tel only 19 years of age, and players much his senior have struggled to perform in the current Tottenham side, with systematic issues throughout the team.

When Tottenham signed Tel, sneaking ahead of several other clubs, they agreed a £45million option to buy that can be activated this summer, and Postecoglou indicated at the time that Spurs had every intention of pulling the trigger on that deal. The Australian said: “Tel 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.”

He added: “Although he is still young, he can physically handle the Premier League. He’s a goal scorer, he can hold his own, he’s got the necessary speed. He will play an important role in our end-of-season push and beyond.“

But since then, there have been reports suggesting the contrary, with reports that Tottenham won’t pay as much as £45milion to seal the deal after seeing Tel up close and personal, likely seeking a reduced fee. In the meantime, Football Insider have reported that Bayern plan to welcome Tel back to their squad this summer in order to use him in the summer’s Club World Cup.

That competition starts on June 14, so Spurs may have to wait until after the competition is complete if they want to try to sign the winger on a cheaper fee. Naturally, they could sign the winger before then, but they would have to pick up the option and pay the full £45million.

It remaisn to be seen what Tel thinks of the situation, but he said when he arrived: “Why I chose Tottenham? It was the best option for me. I’m ready to play, I’m here, I’m ready to grow. It was the best option for me and now I’m very happy. I felt the commitment, I spoke with the President, the team manager, the coach and as I said, that was very important for me.”

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