Just last week, Bayern’s hierarchy were praising Tel for his potential.
“Mathys is an unbelievably sought-after player. That’s why the transfer [from Rennes] was the right decision for Bayern,” Max Eberl, the club’s director of sport, said last Friday.
For quite some time neither Bayern nor Tel were willing to part ways, hoping the Frenchman would be able to break through at the club he joined with great hopes from Rennes in 2022.
However, his playing time was declining following the managerial change from Thomas Tuchel to Vincent Kompany during the summer.
Eberl said in the summer that Tel would feature more this campaign, but he has found himself in the role of a bit player. Kompany never delivered a clear-cut explanation for Tel’s limited role.
“It is just the case that there is always competition at Bayern,” Kompany said in December. “There are top players for every position. [Tel] actually does a very, very good job. This is a player we all love.”
One issue for the undoubtedly-talented Frenchman has been the fact that he is generally viewed as a winger.
Bayern possess several top-level wingers with international experience in Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Serge Gnabry, making it difficult for Tel to claim a place in Kompany’s line-up.
At the same time, Tel has been rarely considered for the striker position, despite making a few brief appearances in that role.
Even when Harry Kane went down with a thigh injury in the German “Klassiker” between Bayern and Dortmund in late November, Tel did not fill the vacant striker role. Instead, Kompany used veteran Thomas Muller or even Jamal Musiala, a traditional number 10, up front.
While his playing time was alarmingly low until December, Tel remained determined to stay at Bayern despite growing interest from Premier League clubs and the German club were reluctant to sell.
But, after a late change of mind from both parties, Tel will now hope he gets more regular football in the Premier League.
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