Spurs could spend another £100m to sign a better winger than Mathys Tel

A winger. That’s the position Tottenham Hotspur are most keen on strengthening before the Premier League season gets underway this weekend.

Compared to their business in midfield and at the back, this has been a slow moving train for Spurs. They do have two primary targets though.

One of them is Savinho and despite a long-standing pursuit that stretches back to the summer of 2025, it does look as though they are closing in on his arrival.

Cody Gakpo is another target but his future is rather less certain. The feeling is that if Liverpool are to sell him to the Lilywhites, the Reds will need to sign two new wingers first.

While Savinho would arrive to bolster the right flank, Gakpo would strengthen the left and compete with Mathys Tel, who has enjoyed a rather productive pre-season.

Why Mathys Tel was the star of pre-season for Spurs

This was one of the most widely anticipated pre-season campaigns in Tottenham’s history.

After finishing 17th in the Premier League, they decided to break the bank to ensure they never finished at the bottom end of the table again.

Mateus Fernandes arrived for £85m. Sandro Tonali walked through the doors to the tune of £100m. That said, while both did score in pre-season, they were not the standout figure for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

REUTERS/Hollie Adams

That honour arguably went to Tel, who despite not yet showing it in competitive action just yet, has somewhat revived his career in north London over the summer.

It would be safe to say that the Frenchman has not been a particularly productive signing. Last term, Tel only netted four times across all competitions.

That said, he has responded emphatically in recent months with a string of highly impressive performances. He has looked like the club’s most dangerous player in the final third.

The 21-year-old bagged a lovely free-kick against Sydney FC, as well as providing an assist versus Auckland and registering a further two assists in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Hoffenheim.

Tel has been a picture of effervescene. He’s been so lively down the left flank with very few full-backs able to contain him.

The challenge now, particularly with new wingers inbound, is for him to sustain this level of performance.

How Spurs can upgrade on Mathys Tel

If Spurs are able to secure moves for Gakpo and Savinho before the transfer window slams shut in just under two weeks, it would not be good news for Tel who has enjoyed a really good run in the team over the summer.

In Gakpo, De Zerbi would undoubtedly land an upgrade. After all, this is a forward who scored 18 goals in all competitions throughout Liverpool’s title-winning campaign of 2024/25.

Yet, because he has played such a vital part for Liverpool in recent years, they have not been too receptive to letting him depart Anfield.

There is a feeling that Spurs still need two forwards this term and if those two deals do fall through, they have a contingency plan in the form of Chelsea winger Pedro Neto.

That’s according to TEAMtalk who report this week that Manchester City and the Lilywhites have both held initial talks with the Blues over the availability of the Portuguese attacker.

Saudi side Al-Hilal are also interested and have already lodged an offer of around £60m. That has been rejected with Chelsea demanding as much as £100m to sell Neto in the remaining weeks of the season.

Two things are certain here; Neto is not worth £100m but he would be an upgrade on the aforementioned Tel. He may even actually be a better signing than Savinho. Here’s why.

The simple fact is that Neto has been far more consistent than both players since he arrived in the Premier League.

While he has never been a truly prolific scorer of goals, he did bag ten times in 2025/26, more than Tel and Savinho who both scored four goals apiece last season.

So, he’s more dangerous in front of goal and he’s also more creative, particularly within the last year. Last campaign, Neto posted ten assists in all competitions. He has always been a very strong creator.

In 2023/24 when the Portugal winger was still at Wolves, he registered nine assist in 20 matches at a rate of 0.53 per 90 minutes. That ranked him among the top 2% of wingers in the Premier League that season.

His 2.25 chances created per 90 also placed him among the best 7% of wide players in the division that term.

Neto may not have been able to forge a similar degree of danger at Chelsea but his numbers are improving all the time and at the age of 26, he is now approaching his prime.

If De Zerbi’s men are to reach the next level they need more creativity like Neto’s. In many ways, he would be a big upgrade on both Savinho and Tel. It’s just a pity about the asking price.