Tottenham summoned a flourish as the winter market closed. Two players signed in the final 48-hour frenzy, initially on loan but with Ange Postecoglou promising both are there for the long term.
One, Mathys Tel, is a teenage wonderkid from France, a quick and versatile forward compared inevitably to Kylian Mbappe and courted by several other Premier League clubs as he sought a move out of Bayern Munich.
The other, Kevin Danso, is an international centre back coming into his prime years, older, more experienced and stress-tested in the top tiers of three countries, including one underwhelming season at Southampton.
They will both be plunged into a squad defending a one-goal lead at Liverpool on Thursday in the Carabao Cup semi-final, with Spurs on a crusade to win a major trophy for the first time since 2008 and Postecoglou trying to save a season which has flirted with disaster.
The cups promise salvation, especially the Europa League with its golden ticket to the Champions League, but first the Carabao Cup and a glimpse of the reinforcements — Danso hijacked from Wolves to fill the void left by Radu Dragusin’s serious knee injury and Tel sweet-talked into the move by Postecoglou after it seemed to have gone awry.
‘I felt like if I kept him on the phone for long enough, I would wear him down and he was falling asleep by the end,’ said the Spurs boss, weaving his dry, self-deprecatory wit together with more serious factors about establishing a positive connection with Tel during their two hours of dialogue and respecting his right to take his time and weigh up his options.
Tottenham secured the signature of Mathys Tel on deadline day as the January window closed
The north London club also brought former Lens defender Kevin Danso into the squad
Ange Postecoglou has long-term plans for both players, despite Tel joining on an initial loan
Tel is a rare talent, used to gushing praise since an early age, and yet those who have seen him in Munich speak of a popular, intelligent and friendly young man with an exemplary attitude.
‘I have never known a player not scoring or even playing in every match who has been so loved by the fans,’ said Julien Wolff, of Die Welt, who has reported on Bayern since 2011.
‘He is a cool guy, very hungry with a lot of potential and is a good signing for Spurs. But he has to play, he has to get his minutes. When he first signed, Julian Nagelsmann was the coach of Bayern and said Mathys will score 40 goals in the Bundesliga and he didn’t do it.
‘Some people say it was a tactical problem, others that he didn’t have the chance and that he needs to play to find the rhythm and flow.’
Tottenham are banking on the latter. They have him on loan until the end of the season, but are confident the terms of the deal mean he will join permanently in the summer, with the fees combining to an outlay of about £53million.
‘I didn’t bring him here for six months,” said Postecoglou when asked if he expected to have him at the club next season. ‘He will be a Tottenham player.’
Spurs seem pleased with themselves, a feeling reinforced by a rare outing by technical director Johan Lange on the club’s media channel.
‘A fantastic talent,’ was his verdict on Tel. ‘He is in a very unique group of players who at a young age have already played a lot of football at a very high level, with around 60 games for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and 15 or 16 in the Champions League at 19.
Radu Dragusin is the latest Spurs player to be ruled out as the club’s injury crisis deepens
Tel has dazzled during his cameo appearances at Bayern Munich but failed nail down a first-team spot
‘He is a versatile attacking player who has the X-factor, he will bring excitement to the stadium. He’s a player we can’t wait to set free and wish to have many fantastic experiences together.’
Tel will compete for a place across the front three while Danso arrives to ease the crisis at the back, intensified by Dragusin’s cruciate knee ligament injury and worrying fitness updates on Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
Van de Ven returned from three months of hamstring trouble last week against Elfsborg, but Postecoglou is concerned by data readings from that game and in training and wants to ease him back out of the team until he is sure the risk of another relapse has passed.
The same goes for Romero, who had been close to a return but now is not.
Danso, signed from Lens on a £20m deal which will become permanent in the summer, provides instant help to Postecoglou rather than potential to develop over time, like so many other recent signings.
He is 26, an Austria international who grew up in Milton Keynes and started out in the academy at MK Dons.
‘Kevin was very tall and physical when he came to us,’ recalls Jon Dewick, who coached him in the club’s Under-11 group.
‘He wanted to play up front, he loved running and scoring goals, and we were always trying to play him at centre back because he was strong and we wanted to improve his technicalities in that area.’
Danso – an Austria international who grew up in Milton Keynes – is a more authoritative head
His ill-fated loan spell at Southampton is best forgotten, with Danso featuring in the infamous 9-0 defeat by Leicester
Danso joined Augsburg in Germany on a scholarship and made his Bundesliga debut in March 2017. A year on loan at Southampton in 2019/20 was not a great success.
Boss Ralph Hasenhuttl used him initially at left back, but Saints had a difficult start to the season. Danso was sent off against Manchester United and Hasenhuttl settled into a back three without him, although he did come on at half-time in the 9-0 hammering by Leicester.
He only appeared once more in the Premier League in a season interrupted by the pandemic, his last game coming in an FA Cup tie with Spurs in January 2020.
He returns into the heat of Anfield with Postecoglou hoping his late January signings have the desired effect.
