Tottenham will “lean” on new signing Mathys Tel in the coming weeks, according to manager Ange Postecoglou.
Tel joined Spurs on deadline day from Bayern Munich in an initial six-month loan. Tottenham have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer if they pay the German club a £50million fee.
Dominic Solanke is Tottenham’s first-choice striker but is currently sidelined with a knee injury, while fellow striker Richarlison succumbed to a calf injury in his latest fitness blow during Tottenham’s 4-0 Carabao Cup semi-final second leg defeat to Liverpool.
It was 19-year-old France international Tel who replaced Richarlison in the first minute of first-half stoppage time at Anfield to make his Spurs debut, and he could earn his first start for his new club when they visit Aston Villa in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth round tie at Villa Park.
Besides Tel, Tottenham also signed goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague and centre-back Kevin Danso from Lens during the winter window. Kinsky signed permanently, while Danso’s arrival is via a loan with an obligation to buy.
“I don’t think he would have learned too much, [because] we certainly didn’t play the way we want to,” Postecoglou said about Tel’s debut when speaking on Friday.
“So for himself and Kevin, in many respects it wasn’t an indication of how we want to go about things.
“But just being out there, playing your first game, you get that out of your system. We’re going to have to lean on him [Tel] a fair bit now.
“But he came here to play. His physical condition is not too bad. He hasn’t played a lot but watching him in training and last night [against Liverpool], he was still moving quite well.
“We have to be careful with him, also. But he came here to play and he’ll get an opportunity to do that.”
Postecoglou handed rare appearances to academy players Mikey Moore, Dane Scarlett and Damola Ajayi in last week’s 3-0 Europa League win over Elsborg, but he has suggested he is unlikely to repeat that trick against Villa.
“We’ve already got young players out there — there’s 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds, 17-year-olds out there.
“It’s one thing to put them on late in a European game but, I’m not going to expose young players to that kind of [pressure]. I’m not going to expose young players who I don't think are ready for that.”
