TERMS AGREED: Manchester United agree £120million transfer fee to sign world-class attacker who’s said to be better than Lamine Yamal
With just days remaining of the January transfer window, Manchester United might yet do more transfer business.
Ruben Amorim’s side, who reached the Round of 16 of the Europa League on Thursday night thanks to a 2-0 win over FCSB in gameweek eight, are set to add depth at left wing-back into the squad.
Patrick Dorgu of Lecce will make the move from Serie A, joining up with the Red Devils for a fee reported by Fabrizio Romano to be £25m up front with £4.1m in add-ons. He will travel to Manchester on Saturday for his medical.
However, Dorgu might not be the only player United bring into the club this winter. They are also linked with an attacking player to add depth in forward areas.
United’s attacking target
The player in question here is Bayern Munich and French attacker Mathys Tel. The 19-year-old has been linked with several clubs across the Premier League, as he seems set to leave the Bundesliga giants in search of regular game time.
According to a report from Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, the Red Devils ‘remain active in the race’ for the France under-21 international, and have reportedly ‘held new talks with his agent’ in the last few hours.
United are believed to be considering a loan deal for the attacker but will face competition from one of their fellow Premier League giants.
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly agreed a £50m deal with Bayern for Tel, but the 19-year-old is yet to accept the move and the race remains open.
Why Tel would be a good signing
Frustratingly for Tel, he has simply not had the minutes that someone of his age or ability might need. Across all competitions this season, the attacker, who can play as a winger or as a number nine, has played just 14 times, a total of just 458 minutes. That is the equivalent of just five full 90-minute games.
Yet, when he was actually given more of a chance to show what he could do in the 2023/24 campaign, the results were much better. Tel played 41 times last season, scoring ten goals and grabbing six assists.
On the face of things, that might not stand out as the best record. However, those 16 goals and assists came in only 1406 minutes, the equivalent of 15.6 full 90-minute games. Thus, 16 goal involvements in 15 and a half games, is an astounding record.
Indeed, the Frenchman could be an ideal replacement for United striker Rasmus Hojlund. The former Atalanta star has also had a tough season, although not for lack of opportunities.
He has seven goals and one assist in 29 appearances this term, although just two of those strikes have come in 18 Premier League games.
Last season, the striker showed flashes of brilliance but could only muster 16 goals and two assists in 43 games. He played 3088 minutes in that time, the equivalent of 34 full 90 minutes.
On average, Hojlund scored or assisted once every 0.52 games, far worse than Tel’s numbers.
The underlying stats on FBref from the 2023/24 campaign suggest that Tel might be an upgrade on Hojlund if United were to get a deal done this winter. At the very least, he could take some of the pressure off the Dane.
For example, last season Tel averaged 1.06 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, compared to 0.17 goal-creating actions for Hojlund each game. Tel also managed more shots on target per game than Hojlund, with 1.5 compared to 0.85 each game.
