This season, the colony of French players has grown at Bayern Munich. Indeed, Michael Olise has joined his compatriots Dayot Upamecano (25 years old), Sacha Boey (24 years old), Kingsley Coman (28 years old) and Mathys Tel (19 years old) at the Allianz Arena residents. As for the latter, he has been defending the colors of the German team since the summer of 2022. Convinced by his talent, his qualities and his potential, the Munich team had put €20 million on the table to snatch him from the hands of Stade Rennais. A club where he took his first steps in the professional world in August 2021 at 16 years and 110 days old. Everything followed suit for Tel, who joined Bayern Munich.
The Frenchman had his ups and downs in Munich
Used 28 times in his first year, including 2 times as a starter, he scored 6 goals under Julian Nagelsmann and then Thomas Tuchel. Despite rumors of a loan, the German leaders closed the door on the Frenchman’s departure during the 2023 summer transfer window. They assured that they were counting on the young player. In the end, the 19-year-old footballer appeared 40 times during the 2023-24 season, including 9 times as a starter. Playing time that he made the most of since he scored 10 goals and provided 6 assists. This once again put some clubs on alert wanting to offer him a full-fledged starting spot.
But his agent quickly clarified things in the columns of TZ. “Mathys recently signed a new long-term contract with his club. He is learning from the elite. We take the roses and with them the thorns. We question ourselves, we work and we move forward. No matter who the coach is next season, Mathys will be available and will continue to learn to conquer his glory and the titles that everyone expects in Munich. This is his only concern after a season of learning.” Having stayed in Bavaria, Tel started his third season with motivation and ambition. Especially since the arrival of Vincent Kompany could have reshuffled the cards for the Frenchman, who had a good summer preparation.
A complicated start to the season
A starter against SSV Ulm 1846 in the German Cup on August 16 (63 minutes of play), he was then sent to the bench against Wolfsburg in the championship. Then, he was a starter against Freiburg (59 minutes of play) before returning to the bench against Holstein Kiel (14 minutes of play). On Tuesday evening, he did not even come into play during his team’s 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. Moreover, Image explains this Thursday that he is “one of the few losers at the start of the season at FC Bayern.” The German media adds that Kompany’s choice to do without his services during this meeting did not come as a surprise to supporters like the player, who “has recently provided virtually no argument for getting more playing time.»
Image adds that the striker (3 matches, 0 goals and assists) had his chance in the first two games of the season, but that he disappointed. This is also the opinion of Lukas Hörster, journalist at Football Transfers. “His start to the season wasn’t good, that’s true. He may have put too much pressure on himself.” The player himself admitted it after a match this season. He admitted that he understood why he was not used, because he had not played well in his first outings of the season. In a press conference, the club’s sporting director, Christoph Freund, spoke about his case this Friday. “Mathys impressed in pre-season. He is still very young, but he has been with us for a long time. He is always critical of himself and works hard on himself every day. I am not worried about him.” The same goes for Vincent Kompany, who declared at a press conference: “I was a young player too. It’s completely normal to have ups and downs. He just has to keep going. We believe in him.”
A future already in danger?
Despite everything, he will have to work extra hard to make a place for himself while the competition is fierce. Image explains that he is currently behind Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané. Not to mention Kingsley Coman, who finally stayed this summer. As for the No. 9 position, where he can also play, the place is occupied by Harry Kane, who is untouchable. The situation is therefore not easy for the young French U21 international. Image also reveals that he is not satisfied with the role of joker. The same goes for his club, which wants to see him develop and progress. If his situation does not improve in the coming weeks, a loan during the 2025 winter transfer window cannot be ruled out according to the German publication. Our colleague, Lukas Hörster, believes that this could be a good solution for the Frenchman to continue his progress on the pitch rather than on the bench.
“Tel has been a good signing for Bayern Munich. Everyone at the club believes in him. He has already shown his qualities with a huge impact coming off the bench. He signed a new contract in March. But he needs to be patient. Maybe he wants too much right away. He is only 19 and he is at one of the biggest clubs in the world. There are a lot of great attacking players at Bayern who take all the minutes, that is for sure. And the main problem at Bayern is that it is difficult for coaches to take the time to integrate young players because the club has sacked coaches very quickly in the past. But Musiala and Pavlovic have proven that it is possible. Tel needs patience. Maybe a loan to a good Bundesliga team would help him come back even stronger in Munich.” The question will certainly arise in January if his case does not evolve in the right direction. Mathys Tel knows what to do to change the situation.
