MATHYS TEL is Bayern Munich’s record-breaking French prodigy who could be on the move to the Premier League.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham have been circling around the 19-year-old whizkid, with Blues fans even hailing him as the next Nicolas Anelka.
The youngster wants out from Bayern in this transfer window, with him sitting on the bench in the club’s last three games.
And since Michael Olise’s arrival, Tel has made just seven Bundesliga appearances this season – with two of them being starts.
Chelsea are reportedly ready to loan Christopher Nkunku as part of a deal to land Tel, with a fee of £58million being mooted.
Man Utd and Spurs are said to be interested, as are Arsenal, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus injured.
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The next Nicholas Anelka
According to BILD, Tel has made it clear that he doesn’t want to go to Chelsea – because the competition for places there is just as big as in Munich.
But Tel does want to move away from Bavaria because he is hungry for game time.
That will be a major blow to Chelsea fans’ dreams of landing the next Anelka.
One supporter wrote on X: “When I see Tel, I see a young Anelka.”
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Turns out the teenager has previously shared how he idolises the former Blues striker.
When asked why he wears the number 39, Tel said: “Because I already had it at Rennes and also because Nicolas Anelka wore it. I like Anelka, he was a really good player.”
Retired French ace Anelka, who played at Chelsea between 2008-2012, won the Premier League, FA Cup twice and Community Shield as a Blues player.
Where it all began
Tel was born in a Northern suburb of Paris called Sarcelles, playing as a youngster for local clubs Villiers Le Bel, Paris FC, ASJ Aubervilliers and Montrouge FC as well as spending time at the renowned Clairefontaine academy.
Tel actually started out as a centre-back but it soon became clear that he would be better used as a forward due to his exceptional dribbling and finishing skills.
As a fresh-faced 15-year-old he signed for Rennes, where he went on a meteoric rise.
In August 2021, Tel became the youngest player ever to turn out for Rennes when he came on for the final five minutes of their 1-1 draw at Brest.
He was just 16-years, three-months and 19-days-old when he made his competitive debut and was already 6ft tall.
Tel was captain of the France U17 team when they lifted the Euros trophy in Israel in the summer of 2022.
The forward played a key role in the push towards Euros glory, with three goals and an assist in the group stage before scoring in penalty shootout wins over Germany and Portugal.
He lifted the trophy as captain following a 2-1 success against the Netherlands in the final on 1 June.
Record breaker
Tel is already a record-breaker, after becoming Bayern’s youngest-ever goalscorer when at 17-years-old and 126-days he was on target in his side’s 5-0 DFB Cup triumph against Viktoria Cologne in August 2022.
He beat the club’s previous record holder, Jamal Musiala (17 years, 205 days).
It didn’t take long for him to then make his full Bundesliga debut against VfB Stuttgart on 10 September, toasting the occasion with his first top-flight goal.
The Frenchman got off to a blinding start to last season, with five goals in his first eight games as Thomas Tuchel showed faith.
He laid down a huge marker, notching an impressive two goals – both match-winners, against Manchester United and Copenhagen – and one assist in eight Champions League matches.
The glittering campaign prompted Bayern to extend his contract through to 2029.
High praise
His Bayern team-mate Thomas Muller said: “You can see that he wants to score goals – that’s a great quality.
“Thinking back to when Arjen Robben was playing, we used to think he should have been looking for the pass, but he was so focused on scoring and he scored a lot.
“Mathys should keep doing his thing: firing shots in on goal. He’s a superb finisher.
“He’s only 18 and is making the most of it at the moment. He’s always positive, always has a smile on his face and has great finishing in training and in matches.”
Former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann added: “He’s a very young, talented player who can play different positions.
“He’s very quick, strong with his body. He’s good at defending the ball with his back towards the opponent’s goal… I have the vision that he could score 40 goals [in a season like Robert Lewandowski] one day in the future.”
Who would he suit?
Having initially played up top for Bayern during the 2022-23 campaign, Tel has mostly been selected on the wing in the years since.
A right-footed forward, Tel likes to drift into an inside-left position.
At Chelsea he would likely come up against the likes of Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Nicolas Jackson for minutes, so may not get the regular game time that he craves.
Man Utd may be a good landing spot, although the Red Devils may have to flog one of Marcus Rashford or Alejandro Garnacho to make the deal happen.
Tottenham, meanwhile, could almost certainly offer the game time, having been crippled by injuries this season.
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Ange Postecoglou’s side are still fighting on four fronts, which would give Tel plenty of opportunities to shine.
Attackers Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert are all missing through injury, while Son Heung-min and Richarlison will need their minutes carefully managed – although Spurs are also claimed to be trying to sign Brentford’s Yoane Wissa.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
