Exclusive: Bayern Munich were always star’s first choice despite other transfer suitors, says expert

Bayern Munich were always the preferred destination for French wonderkid Mathys Tel when he was attracting interest during his time at former club Rennes.

Posted Friday, October 06, 2023 by Caughtoffside.com

The 18-year-old has shown huge promise in his first-team appearances for Bayern so far this season, and French football expert Jonathan Johnson has discussed his progress in his latest exclusive column for the Daily Briefing.

Tel is probably not likely to be in the mix for a place in Didier Deschamps' France squad just yet, but Johnson is sure he'll be someone that will be monitored, while other top clubs have also looked at him in the past.

Still, Bayern entered into the equation strongly and always seemed to be the player's first choice once that happened, according to Johnson.

"Mathys Tel has had to be patient, but is now showing what he can do at Bayern Munich. Still, I don't think we're yet at the point where we can talk about him being in Didier Deschamps' plans for the national team," Johnson wrote.

Exclusive: Bayern Munich were always star’s first choice despite other transfer suitors, says expert
Mathys Tel celebrates scoring for Bayern against Man Utd

"Still, he's certainly a talented young player, and he was on the radar of a number of top clubs before making the move to Bayern, though he was always very clear that he saw his future in Munich once their interest became clear. I think there was a hope that he'd stay in Ligue 1 for a bit longer or maybe even move on loan to a club pushing for promotion from Ligue 2, but in the end things moved so fast he ended up making the move to Bayern.

"He didn't play much to begin with, but after a period of adaptation, he's looking like the real deal now, and it shows once again that Bayern's eye for young talent is up there with the best. He's making really impressive strides at this moment in time, and I suppose if Deschamps were to name something of an experimental squad between now and the Euros, there is a possibility that we might see Tel tested at senior level.

"Still, for now I'd expect him to be someone Deschamps will keep watching from afar, but with Olivier Giroud potentially coming towards the end of his illustrious international career, there could be a space opening up in attack soon. Players like Tel and Elye Wahi look like they could soon be ready to step into that void."

It will certainly be interesting to keep on monitoring Tel's progress in the years ahead, to see if he can continue to be a regular for Bayern or if he ultimately ends up moving somewhere else for the next stage of his career.