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Spurs pounce to sign Mathys Tel | 00:31
Ange Postecoglou’s job is on the line, there’s no two ways about it — but his role in securing the signature of Mathys Tel proves to be a pivotal moment in his Tottenham tenure.
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The 19-year-old was desperate for game time after playing limited minutes for Bayern Munich this season and it was Spurs, alongside Manchester United and Chelsea vying for his signature.
Tottenham officials agreed a $120m AUD fee to sign Tel, but after chairman Daniel Levy flew to Munich to pitch his vision to the young gun, he baulked and declined the move.
That’s where Postecoglou stepped in.
The Australian picked up the phone and called Tel, offering his own view of the path forward and exactly where he saw the rising star fitting in his side.
Suddenly, Tel had a change of heart. Moving quickly, he travelled to London to initially sign on loan before he was convinced to insert a $90m AUD buy option in his contract, for a potential six-year deal.
His conversation with the former Celtic boss was a clear turning point, and that sequence of events sums up the situation Postecoglou finds himself precariously placed in.
“Remember on Friday, Spurs agreed a permanent deal with Bayern Munich but the player said he didn’t want the move and preferred a move to Arsenal, Aston Villa or Manchester United,” Sky Sports News’ Dharmesh Sheth said.
“They didn’t peruse the move. But Ange Postecoglou got on the phone, spoke to Tel personally and convinced him Spurs were the place to be.”
Multiple reports over Postecoglou’s future in north London have not been able to produce a consensus, with some putting the Australian on the brink, and others saying he’s safe for the foreseeable future.
Postecoglou himself admitted in January “I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no” when asked if he will be Tottenham manager beyond the next three weeks.
However, Spurs’ Tel saga — specifically the way it ended — is suggestive of a slightly more secure future for Postecoglou than some have predicted.
Levy turned to Postecoglou in an attempt to try and finish the job he was unable to complete, while also allowing him to sign other players during his stint as manager.
Premier League legend Gary Neville said that Tel had made a good decision to join Spurs, with Postecoglou’s philosophy part of the reason.
“Tottenham are a huge draw, the stadium and the training ground – and the manager with his style of football. It’s a thrilling style that creates chances,” Sky Sports’ Neville said.
“I’m glad Tel is going there after flirting with a couple of other clubs. Tel will improve Spurs.
“They have a big couple of weeks coming up. Sometimes players like the idea of playing for a club but the important thing is to play football. That’s what Tottenham can provide him.
“They are an amazing football club with an amazing fanbase and they have some great games coming up that he can contribute in.”
Postecoglou being handed the keys to the Tel transfer, and personally speaking to the young gun in a bid to change his mind, hints at a manager who’s been backed by the club for its next phase — not one who is being sacked imminently.
Even so, managing under the rule of Levy comes with an ominous history that Postecoglou will hope his new signings can help him defy.
Levy has been in charge at Tottenham since ENIC’s takeover in 2001, winning one League Cup in 2008 during his tenure as the longest current serving chairman.
During his 24 years, he’s sacked and hired 16 managers.
Postecoglou is just the latest in a long line of mentors who have failed to deliver without the significant financial investment to compete with the Premier League’s heavyweights.
Yet he was still able to convince one of the world’s brightest talents to join him in North London, and the chairman was not.
But should Spurs’ struggles continue to close out the 2024/25 season, it will be Postecoglou who is thrown out the door — not Levy, who refuses to listen to fan’s criticisms.
Levy watched on as Postecoglou struggled to field a starting eleven in recent weeks, with injuries tallying almost every game.
Fans have protested openly against the club’s ownership in recent weeks, even staging a mass event at the Tottenham club shop to try and enact change.
However, Levy has previously said that he doesn’t listen to criticism from the club’s faithful, with former Premier League striker Chris Sutton questioning the chairman.
“Daniel Levy is such a powerful figure – he wants to win trophies, but that’s not his primary objective, he wants to make money and that’s why Tottenham fans are angry,” he said on BBC.
“But, does Daniel Levy listen to anybody? He’s a stubborn so and so, we can talk as much as we like about it but he’s such a powerful figure – what is going to change?
“You can have your banners up, you can sing Levy out – but is he really going to listen to that?”
While Levy has been the focal point of fans’ woes, former Manchester United scout Mick Brown explained prior to deadline day that Postecoglou’s position was shaping as a familiar story.
“It’s mapping out at Tottenham as it often has done over the years,” he said to Football Insider.
“The manager of the time needs players, it gets to a point where the chairman is accused of keeping his hands in his pockets, he starts getting pressure from the fans, and he sacks the manager.
“He’s sacked 15 managers during his time there. It’s ‘watch this space’ at Tottenham at the moment.
“They’ve been down this road before.
“Chairmen, particularly Daniel Levy, don’t like pressure from the fans so they react and make a decision. That’s not my opinion, it’s a fact, it’s history.”
However, Tottenham’s pair of signings could be seen as a renewed show of faith in Postecoglou.
Last month, the club was in freefall with losses in the league piling up each week, while Levy’s pursestrings remained largely tightened.
But a pressure-relieving 0-2 away win over Brentford on the weekend, followed by two key coups late in the transfer window have offered new hope for Postecoglou’s future at the club.
Alongside Tel, Lens centre back Kevin Danso has also joined the club in a timely boost for the Australian’s injury-ravaged side.
Even so it wasn’t all good news in the market for Postecoglou, he was desperate to sign a second centre back, with Chelsea’s Axel Disasi snubbing Spurs in favour of Aston Villa.
AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori also rejected the club’s approach, while Crystal Palace declined a $140m AUD bid for England representative Marc Guehi.
The Guehi move in particular highlighted the difference between Spurs and other heavyweights, refusing to up their offer to secure a player who has been a proven Premier League performer.
Spurs still sit in 14th in the Premier League, losing four-straight games before breaking that streak against Brentford.
It is therefore likely that results in a trio of cup competitions, the Europe League, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, will be pivotal in Postecoglou surviving the 2024/25 season.
Spurs have a 1-0 lead after the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi finals, with the second clash with Liverpool scheduled for Friday morning.
The recent return of Micky van de Ven proves crucial for Spurs, but the likes of Christian Romero, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario, among others, still sidelined.
Postecoglou will be desperate for Tel and Danso to hit the ground running in the hopes of helping Tottenham delve deeper into their cup campaigns.
The equation is simple for Postecoglou — win silverware and he will likely keep his job.
But the fact that he is still here to hold onto that hope represents an uptick in fortunes for a manager who, just last month, was struggling to field an XI in what some where billing as a relegation fight.
