Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Tue 10 March 2026 15:10, UK

Tottenham Hotspur forward Mathys Tel has shared his confusion over his lack of game time under Thomas Frank, claiming the former manager didn’t like him.

Frank was sacked by Spurs in February after just eight months in charge, and departed with them hovering just five points above the Premier League relegation zone.

Igor Tudor was then parachuted in on a deal until the end of the season, but after a run of three straight defeats, they are now only one point clear of the bottom three.

Tel has seen his minutes equally restricted under the interim boss, despite arguably being one of the club’s brightest performers in a nightmarish campaign.

That has unsurprisingly led to speculation that Tel could look to leave Spurs in the summer.

Tottenham simply have to play Mathys Tel more

Tel was ready to quit Tottenham during the winter transfer window, and has now openly addressed his disagreement with Frank on the Zach En Roue Libre podcast.

“I disagreed with Thomas on my role within the team, and he didn’t like me for it,” said Tel. “He didn’t look to try to fix things. I was confused why I was on the bench a lot.

“I felt I could help the team more than I was.”

But Frank’s dismissal has not been the hard reboot he would have been hoping for, despite his Sofascore statistics demonstrating he is more than capable of making an impact.

Tel has made 22 appearances in the Premier League so far this season, starting just seven of them, and has scored three goals while failing to record an assist.

Naturally, these are relatively poor numbers for any forward, but there are mitigating factors. Indeed, his average of 35 minutes per game means he can’t find any rhythm.

Regardless, his 52 per cent dribble success rate is eye-catching and suggests he could provide the trickery needed to unlock stubborn Premier League backlines.

Tel averages 1.1 total shots per game, hardly a surprise in light of his wide role, while his expected assists tally stands at one, with teammates wasting chances he created.

With a passing accuracy of 76 per cent and an average of 18.5 touches per game, the ace is regularly involved in matches and actively wants the ball.

For a Spurs side so blunt in front of goal, it beggars belief that they don’t use him more.

Tel set for big future decision

Tel had made just two substitute appearances under Tudor before playing the full 90 out on the left flank in the dismal defeat by Crystal Palace last time out.

While Tudor won’t stay in charge beyond the end of the season, the sheer amount of uncertainty and instability in N17 could prompt Tel to look for a way out.

It would be difficult to blame him, but there is still time to change his course. In fact, the solution is simple for the coaching staff: keep playing him.

He has not exploded into life just yet, but given time, he has the potential to do just that.