Who is Mathys Tel? Bayern Munich’s French prodigy and ‘the new Mbappe’
While limited to substitute appearances, Mathys Tel has made the most of his chances with Bayern. FootballTransfers look at the forward's future.
It might be a slight stretch right now to call Mathys Tel the ‘new Mbappe’, but the comparisons being made are certainly a good indication of the Bayern Munich prodigy’s ridiculous potential.
While PSG megastar Mbappe looks booked for Ballon d’Or glory at some stage soon, Tel is just starting out on a journey which could well end up on a similar trajectory.
The 18-year-old, acquired by Bayern from the Stade Rennais Academy for a reported €20million last summer, was bought after the German outfit reluctantly sold Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.
It was thought Tel could be a sort of replacement for the Poland international, but in reality this talented teenager offers something a bit different.
The former France Under-17 captain became the youngest player ever to feature for Stade Rennais in 2021, when he was just 16 years, three months and 19 days old.
Not long after he became Bayern’s youngest-ever goalscorer - netting against Viktoria Cologne when he was 17 years and 126 days old. An early sign of things to come.
Mathys Tel transfer value: How much is he worth?
Tel's current xTV (Expected Transfer Value) is €18.9m with a range of €14.2m to €23.6m - on the rise since his arrival in Munich in the summer of 2022.
Of course, given his age and the fact he is contracted at the Allianz Arena until 2025, Bayern would doubtless demand a whole lot more for their exciting attacker.
Tel has featured only as a substitute in 24 games during his debut season in the Bundesliga, starting a single match.
That is testament not only to his tender years, but also the fact he must fight for a starting berth with the likes of Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
So far Tel has seen 582 minutes of action in 2022/23 - and he has netted six goals in that time. This averages to a goal every 97 minutes, not a bad return at all for a teenager on the fringes of an elite Bayern side.
Tel stands at 1.83m tall, making him a notch over six feet. He is a modern attacker, able to play anywhere across the front three - whether that’s left or right flank, or down the middle. Former Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann reportedly saw him as more of a winger who could eventually develop into a striker.
"He could become one of the best strikers one day,” Nagelsmann explained. “I have the vision that he can score 40 goals one day. But I would be happy with 10 goals in his first season"
Tel is also capable of playing with both feet, meaning defenders who struggle to close him down on a particular side are in for a nasty surprise.
Given his nationality and dominance at youth level for France, as well as his young age, those inevitable Mbappe comparisons have of course been made and Ballon d’Or predictions thrown out there.
But in reality Tel is arguably more like Alexander Isak of Newcastle, both in the sense of his versatility and his physicality.
But where Isak would arguably need to bulk up, Tel is already incredibly athletic and strong. Despite his long legs, he does not have a gangly frame and is able to inject an incredible amount of pace and power into his performances.
But what sort of player is he?
Mathys Tel strengths and playing style
Tel’s key strengths include his finishing.
Drilling into that key area, he has 1.14 goals per 90 minutes compared to 0.59 xG per 90minutes, which means that is outperforming his xG by a huge amount, demonstrating his great ability to find the net.
You might think this is because he plays for a quality Bayern team who create many high-quality chances for him, but his xG per shot figure of 0.13 is about average for the league, and is much lower than someone like Eintracht Frankfurt sensation Kolo Muani (0.16 xG).
His shooting goals added (SGA) figure of 0.25 per 90 minutes once again highlights his lethal finishing. This means he is able to execute better quality shots from goalscoring positions and thereby convert low xG chances into goals.
Kolo Muani for comparison has a negative SGA value - in short he is a poorer finisher than Tel.
Mathys attempts an impressive 14 chance creation passes per 90 minutes, but his xA per 90 minutes of 0.13 can be improved upon.
Mathys Tel has told the club in clear terms that he wants to stay. Everyone at Bayern is convinced Tel will be a top player. Tel is patient, has a good mentality & a good entourage that advises him. He wants to stay and take his chance when it comes [@kerry_hau, Die Bayern-Woche] pic.twitter.com/QqtzRXFnlS
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) May 12, 2023
Other highlights are his dribbling, with over 10 dribbles attempted per 90 minutes and his offensive involvement with over 14 receptions in the final 3rd and over 3.5 in the box P90.
It must be said that this data is based on less than 450 minutes in the Bundesliga this season, a small sample size and therefore open to a few question marks.
What is not in question though is the huge potential Tel possesses. The money Bayern dropped to acquire him last summer could eventually be a drop in the ocean.
Tel may find himself getting more minutes under Thomas Tuchel next season, which could mean a true breakthrough campaign.
Get the popcorn ready...