Mathys Tel drama: ‘Reason why Tottenham beat Man United emerges on Deadline Day’
Man United were not willing to accept terms that Tottenham appear to have agreed to in the race for Mathys Tel, Melissa Reddy reports.
Tel rejected a move to Spurs earlier in the week [Sky Sports], before a surprise U-turn that is now expected to see him join the North London club for the rest of the season on loan.
Despite his move to North London, Jamie Carragher speculated that the Bayern Munich striker would still prefer to join United or Arsenal in the winter transfer window.
The reason for Tel not joining United was revealed by senior reporter, Reddy, on Sky Sports News (6.33pm): “The club [United] did do a lot of work on trying to get a forward in, they canvassed the market both domestically and around Europe. The right deal though just wasn’t there to be done.
“In the case of Tel from Bayern Munich for example, who’s on the verge of signing for Tottenham, doing a loan deal for a young player without the option to buy him permanently just felt like too much of a risk.
“You end up developing a player for your competitors if you don’t have the opportunity to sign him and he does really well. So United feel like they would rather focus on that summer window.”
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Man United boss Ruben Amorim desperately needs new striker after Hojlund and Zirkzee woes
Football Insider Verdict
United’s misfiring duo of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have only scored five Premier League goals between them this season.
The issue of goals has been a major one under both Erik ten Hag, and Amorim this season, as the Red Devils have been outscored by relegation-candidates Wolves.
Hojlund was signed in 2023 for £72million [BBC Sport], and Zirkzee joined the club last summer for £36.5million [BBC Sport], but despite the respective price tags, neither striker has shown themselves capable of leading the line for United.
The Red Devils have regularly been linked with strikers this January, with Viktor Gyokeres from Amorim’s former side, Sporting CP, being one of the main names mentioned.
However, with no deal seemingly agreed for the Swedish striker, Tel looked to be a fantastic alternative as a short-term solution.
Rasmus Hojlund has only scored twice in the league this season for Man United.
Tel is more of a natural striker when compared to Zirkzee, who prefers to drop off and join the midfield, and whilst Hojlund leads the line well, his finishing has been woeful this season.
United deciding against a deal for Tel, with the fear that they would be developing a rival’s player, seems majorly misguided. The Red Devils are in no danger of qualifying for the Champions League this season and are unlikely to be in competition with the German outfit any time soon, if results continue the way they have.
In other news, Marcus Rashford has broken his silence after joining Aston Villa.
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