Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel were both linked with Manchester United under the Ineos regime, but the pair are now in the midst of Tottenham’s major crisis.
Mathys Tel was part of the Tottenham squad that beat Manchester United 1-0 in the 2025 Europa League final at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao last May.
Randal Kolo Muani, on the other hand, arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer under Thomas Frank after Ange Postecoglou was sacked at Spurs.
Ineos’ transfer position on both Tel and Kolo Muani has not come back to haunt United, but the Tottenham duo have a real fight on their hands this season.
READ MORE: ‘He’s digging him out’: Gary Lineker reacts to Paul Scholes’ criticism of Michael Carrick after Man Utd loss
Mathys Tel runs during the League Cup semi-final second-leg football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, England, in 2025.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Are you happy with Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
Ineos and Man Utd pulled the plug on a 2025 Mathys Tel transfer before Tottenham swooped in for the former Bayern Munich star
Mathys Tel has not set the world alight since his initial move from Tottenham, with Spurs agreeing to sign him in a six-month deal during the 2024-25 campaign.
The 20-year-old winger arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February 2025, having struggled for playing time under Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich.
More United News
Tottenham completed Tel’s transfer last summer for a £30m transfer fee, with Spurs bringing down the £45m option-to-buy price that Bayern Munich had demanded.
Before Tel’s decision to sign for Tottenham on loan, the Red Devils, Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa were linked with him while he was under Vincent Kompany’s watch.
Manchester United were believed to be the favourites to sign the Frenchman, who had reportedly agreed to move to Old Trafford before the transfer collapsed.
Bayern had demanded an £8.5m (€10m) transfer fee for the loan spell alone, with Ineos correctly identifying that the ‘risk factor’ was too big for a young prospect.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s regime instead opted for a permanent move for Patrick Dorgu, who was brought from Italy to England and has slowly been settling in at United.
READ MORE: Michael Carrick’s Man Utd tactical development can evolve with function that Joshua Zirkzee plays under him
With Ruben Amorim SACKED, where will Manchester United finish in 2025/26?
Let's see your predictions!
Patrick Dorgu celebrates with his teammates during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United.
Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images
Man Utd avoided the risk with Mathys Tel and the same effective strategy showed with Tottenham star Randal Kolo Muani
Tel has only netted three times in 27 matches across all competitions for Tottenham since his permanent move, with Spurs fighting a potential relegation battle now.
Randal Kolo Muani is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and the 27-year-old French striker has equally struggled to make an impact at Tottenham in the current season.
United were linked with the PSG loanee last summer before Spurs completed their deadline-day move for Kolo Muani from the Ligue 1 outfit in September 2025.
Kolo Muani has found the back of the net only four times and picked up three assists in 30 matches for Spurs across all competitions in his debut season in England.
United were keen to strengthen key positions in Ruben Amorim’s squad, but Ineos were not ready to meet PSG’s hefty €40m to €50m valuation for Kolo Muani.
Instead, Ineos showed a smart strategy by signing Premier League-proven talent like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, even if they were for higher transfer fees.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox