Jermain Defoe just compared Mathys Tel to Thierry Henry after Tottenham move
Jermain Defoe praised Mathys Tel for his impressive showing for France’s Under-21s against the Danes and has told the youngster what he should be thinking about competing with Dominic Solanke for the number nine role at Tottenham.
Tel has become Tottenham’s first signing of the Thomas Frank era, with the Lilywhites paying just under £30m to land him permanently from Bayern Munich.
While the 20-year-old certainly did not set the world alight during his loan spell at N17, Frank is confident that he can improve Tel and that the youngster can score a lot of goals for his side.
The forward showcased his quality on Sunday evening in the European Under-21 Championship, with Tel’s impressive finish helping France secure a place in the semifinal.
Jermain Defoe was blown away by Tel’s France performance
Defoe felt that the Tottenham man’s finish was Thierry Henry-esque and that the goal was very well deserved for the youngster, given the threat he posed all game.
The Spurs legend praised Tel for not letting his head drop after missing chances earlier in the game and for keeping his composure when the ball found its way to him in the box in the latter stages of the game.
Reacting to the Frenchman’s match-winner, the forward told Channel 4: “As soon as he gets it here, you always fancy him one-versus-one – that’s what he does well. That’s Thierry Henry-like. He uses the defender and just curls it, a really controlled finish. It’s well executed, and the keeper has no chance.
“He deserved that, to be honest, because he looked bright and sharp all game, he missed a couple of chances in the first half, but key moments in games that make the difference.
“He deserves a lot of credit because sometimes when you miss chances, you go missing and you don’t want the ball to fall to you, but he just kept going, kept making those runs and getting into those areas where you’re going to score goals. He deserved the goal in the end, he was one of the best players on the pitch in the end.”
When asked if Tel can take Dominic Solanke’s spot at Spurs next season, Defoe said: “He’s got to think like that, young player, but he’s got to think that. Hopefully, he’ll continue this way in this tournament and go into pre-season confident, and then you never know.”
Joe Cole expects Mathys Tel to be an important player for Tottenham next season
Some Spurs fans are sceptical if Tel is of the required level right now, mainly down to his difficult start to life in N17.
However, Joe Cole is convinced that the former Bayern Munich man will be an asset for Frank’s men, given his versatility.
The former Chelsea man said about Tel: “I think he’s one of them for Spurs next year, where I think wherever you go with your front three, he’s number four and you’re just building him into the Premier League because I think he can play either side and as a number nine.”
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