'Development has stagnated…' – Club chief speaks about surprise Tottenham transfer and reasons behind it

It was one of those highlight transfers of the window, but one that surprised many given the talent that the Frenchman possesses, complemented by how Bayern always wanted him to succeed in the German top tier. But now this loan transfer will prove to be a massive step in the 19-year-old’s career, and given the signs from everywhere, it looks like the North Londoners will be taking Tel on a permanent deal at the end of the ongoing summer transfer window.

Bayern Munich’s sporting director, Max Eberl, insists that the decision to let Tel go for a loan (and possibly a free transfer) was because of an understanding of how his development has stopped since he moved to Germany.

Eberl (via transfer guru Fabrizio Romano) said:

“The situation with us developed differently than expected. Sometimes you have to make such tough decisions because development has stagnated and it’s not a good fit for either side.”

He is not wrong, but Tel does have far to go

In a sense it is true that Tel’s development had kind of stopped since he moved to Bayern; you could only see glimpses of his potential but never the full gear of his abilities.

And since moving to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the winter window, his adaptation to the pace and power of English football has been slow, given that he has only netted once donning the Lilywhites colours and given that such problems are not uncommon in such young players who are experiencing such a physical side of the game for the first time.

However, while we haven’t still seen everything that he is capable of, his potential and fit into Ange Postecoglou’s system mean there is a high possibility that Spurs end up activating their £45 million option to buy him permanently.

For now it is about Tel having to find his confidence back and start moving like his older self once again.