Arsenal will be so relieved that they didn’t take a gamble on one player they were linked with in January.
The January 2025 transfer window was a frustrating one for Arsenal, as fans were desperate to see a striker arrive.
It wasn’t only supporters who were angered, but the manager too, as Mikel Arteta pleaded for a striker signing.
Arsenal did make an approach to sign Ollie Watkins, but the Englishman wasn’t the only player the Gunners took a look at.
Mathys Tel left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad
In January, Arsenal made contact with Mathys Tel, considering signing the Frenchman on an initial loan from Bayern Munich.
It quickly became clear that it would be a difficult deal to pull off, not only due to Arsenal’s recruitment stance, but because Tel wanted to sign for Manchester United.
In the end, neither the player nor Arsenal got their wish, as the 20-year-old signed for Tottenham while the Gunners battled through the remainder of the 2024/25 season without a striker.
Arsenal didn’t want to sign Tel due to not being entirely convinced about what the 2005-born star would offer to Arteta’s project, a decision that has since proven to be the right one.
On Wednesday, Thomas Frank announced his squad for the league phase of the Champions League, leaving Tel out.
Just three months after signing permanently for Spurs as part of a £30m deal, the France U21 international is already unsure where he stands in Frank’s plans.
Mathys Tel’s scoring record at Tottenham
It’s a gutting situation for Tel, but one that only reinforces how smart Arsenal were to dodge the transfer.
There’s no doubt that the Frenchman has an incredibly high ceiling, but the striker hasn’t been able to translate his form in Germany to the Premier League just yet.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 23 | 3 | 2 |
Since joining Spurs after Arsenal’s interest, Tel has scored just three times, and, since Frank has arrived, the forward has played only 30 competitive minutes.
Signing Tel in January could’ve impacted the work the Gunners did over the summer, proving that the North Londoners made the right decision.
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