As Spurs secure a lucrative loan deal, Gunners’ missed opportunities highlight a frustrating January window
Mathys Tel, the promising 19-year-old forward from Bayern Munich, has chosen a new destination—Tottenham Hotspur—after Arsenal’s pursuit of the player never gained traction. Despite initial chatter linking Tel with the Gunners, who were reportedly interested in signing him, Arsenal failed to move decisively this January.
Tottenham, on the other hand, completed a six-month loan deal for the French Under-21 international, which includes an option to buy for €55 million (£45.7m) plus an additional €5 million (£4.1m) in bonus payments. This deal marks a significant acquisition for Spurs as they look to strengthen their attacking options ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to Gunners transfer expert Charles Watts, discussions around Tel never really got off the ground at Arsenal. “From my understanding, they were never really close to signing an attacker in January,” Watts explained. “There was some interest in Ollie Watkins, but not at a price that Aston Villa would have been looking for. There was a lot of chatter about Mathys Tel, but those talks didn’t progress because Arsenal were focused on finding a pure striker rather than a forward who can play centrally yet prefers operating off the left.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged the club’s disappointing transfer activity. “We had a clear intention to explore opportunities that could really impact our squad, but we haven’t achieved that,” he admitted. “We’re very disciplined about the kind of players we bring in, and sometimes that means we pass on opportunities.”
German transfer expert Florian Plettenberg provided further details on the Spurs deal, confirming that Spurs will pay a €10 million loan fee and cover five months of Tel’s salary—roughly €2 million gross. Notably, the agreement includes no mandatory purchase clause; the final decision to buy rests solely with Tel, a condition he insisted upon.
As the January transfer window nears its end, the contrasting approaches of Arsenal and Tottenham underscore a pivotal moment in the market. Spurs’ proactive move to secure Mathys Tel stands in sharp contrast to Arsenal’s inaction, leaving many to wonder if the Gunners’ missed opportunities will continue to haunt them throughout the season.
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