And just like his idol under whom he made four appearances for France Unders in , Tel has arrived in north London hoping to kickstart a promising career that was just threatening to flatline at his previous club. Given Tel has been brought to Tottenham Hotspur for his prowess in the final third, it comes as a surprise to learn that he spent his earliest years on the football pitch trying to stop goals rather than score them.
When he came forward from the back, it enabled him to really express his talent. Tel joined the club at the age of six and stayed there for five years. An early developer in every aspect, he had his growth spurt young. Team photographs from the time show him towering over his team-mates — and coaches — despite still being some way short of puberty. It was not only in the height stakes that he was head and shoulders above everybody else.
He was quick, he was powerful and he had natural talent. Above all, he loved the game. It was a real ordeal for his dad because by the age of nine, he already had a monstrous shot on him. Born in Sarcelles in April , Tel grew up in nearby Villiers-le-Bel, a town of some 30, people that lies 11 miles north of central Paris, a minute bus ride from the nearest station on the RER D suburban rail line.
He lived with his parents, Michel and Margaret, and his elder sister, Malicka, in a third-floor apartment. As is always the case in tales such as this, a football was never far away.
Tel moved on to Paris FC at the age of 11, having caught the eye in friendly games against the club while playing for Villiers-le-Bel. His father and mother are very polite, very respectful. He had trials with Paris Saint-Germain and Lille, neither of which went any further, and there was also interest from clubs including Monaco and Lens before Rennes entered the fray. Motivated by the chance to follow in the footsteps of Rennes alumni such as Yoann Gourcuff, Ousmane Dembele and Eduardo Camavinga, Tel signed a kind of pre-contract — known in France as an accord de non-sollicitation non-solicitation agreement — with Les Rouge et Noir in Rennes made their move after Tel was selected to join the prestigious youth set-up at Clairefontaine.
