Brennan Johnson celebrates scoring against Newcastle United.placeholder image
Brennan Johnson celebrates scoring against Newcastle United. | Getty Images
Mathys Tel wasn’t on the scoresheet in the first half against Newcastle United but still caught the eye.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Mathys Tel put in a purring first half performance against Newcastle United in pre-season friendly action in South Korea.
The clash between the two Premier League sides, which comes just three days after Thomas Frank’s side beat Arsenal 1-0 in a run-out, saw all eyes centred on Son Heung-min. Back in his home nation after announcing his imminent departure from the north London club, the 33-year-old was given an emotional send off.
It was, however, Spurs teammate Brennan Johnson who opened the scoring for Tottenham Hotspur after just four minutes. Where both Spurs and the Gunners could have been accused of lacking some energy last week, Frank’s men started the game against the Magpies with determination.
Tottenham Hotspur open the scoring against Newcastle United
A large part of that energy appeared to have come from a desire to give Son a triumphant send off, the South Korea international receiving high fives from teammates after the Johnson goal, despite not having played a huge role in it himself.
It was an advanced Kevin Danso tackle on Jacob Murphy that saw the ball squirm into the path of Johnson, who strode into its path and confidently struck home from the edge of the box, via a hefty deflection. While it was Johnson and Son who had cameras focused on them while celebrating, it was another Tottenham Hotspur star who caught the eye in Mathys Tel.
While teammates congratulated one another, the 20-year-old turned his attention to fans in the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Tel could be seen passionately waving his arms in the air and giving a rallying call towards fans from the pitch.
Mathys Tel catches the eye in South Korea
That action speaks volumes of a player desperate to impress this season. Tel has seen his loan from Bayern Munich made permanent for £30 million and looks desperate to make a concrete impact at Spurs.
The winger, who played in the middle of a front three in the first-half against Newcastle United, racked up 20 appearances for Spurs last season but scored just three goals. With Mohammed Kudus arriving from West Ham for £55 million and links for another attacking addition to replace Son, it’s perhaps easy to overlook Tel.
At just 20 years old, the versatile frontman still has so much room to grow. There are few Tottenham Hotspur players that look more raring to go this season.
Even before the goal, with two minutes on the clock, Tel showed his strength when winning a free kick with his back to the ginormous Dan Burn. After the Johnson goal, Tel was the first to be closing down the Newcastle United defenders and looking to breach the back line and latch onto through balls, almost scoring when one on one with Nick Pope - although the less said about that finish, the better.
All the signs are there for a big season and, if what happened on the pitch in South Korea isn’t enough proof, Tel has spoken about his determination during pre-season. He said: “This pre-season is about intensity, mentality and physicality too. This season we belong. We have a lot of big games, Champions League, Premier League and the cups. We need to be ready in the head and physically.”
In other news, Tottenham £40m transfer would be insult to Son Heung-min legacy - opinion.
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