New Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank is hoping to bring success to North London, but the Danish manager will have to do it without a player the club has depended on for the last 10 years.

Tottenham sold Son Heung-min to LA Galaxy earlier this month, with the South Korean forward leaving Spurs as a legend.

While many fans may feel the timing of Son’s exit is right, the versatile forward leaves a substantial hole in Tottenham’s attacking ranks and robs Frank of a proven goalscorer and match-winner.

Part of the reason Spurs may have allowed Son to leave the club is having a succession plan in place, with attacking options bolstered ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

Tottenham signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham earlier this summer, with the exciting forward giving Frank an additional option in the final third.

However, Tottenham buying Mathys Tel on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich may well turn out to be more of a significant deal, with the French forward set to play an important role for Spurs this season.

While the initial loan signing of Tel was viewed as quite the coup, the foundations of the deal were set in another of Tottenham’s best players of a generation leaving North London.

Spurs sold Harry Kane to the Bundesliga giants in August 2023, sparking the first of four deals between the two clubs.

Eric Dier later followed his English compatriot to Bavaria, while Tottenham complemented landing Tel by signing Joao Palhinha on loan from the German champions earlier this month.

This growing commercial partnership between Tottenham and Bayern appears to be working for both parties, unlike the one-sided agreement Spurs struck with Real Madrid when selling Luka Modric back in 2012.

In Tel, Tottenham have signed a prodigiously talented and driven attacker, who can have a big part to play in Frank’s first season at the club.

Spurs fans have not yet seen the best of the 20-year-old, who took time to adjust to life in England after his initial loan move in January.

Tel was fielded on the left of Ange Postecoglou’s front three, as the central striker and used as an impact substitute in his first six months in England.

While the France under-21 international has the versatility to play across the forward line, operating from the left – as Son has done so effectively over the years – is clearly his best position.

Tel’s confidence on the ball, energy off it and eye for goal will make him a dangerous player in Frank’s new-look Tottenham team.

The former Bayern man scored two goals and laid on two assists in 13 Premier League outings in 2024-25, figures that he will surely improve vastly on if he can stay fit.

With a full pre-season under his belt at Tottenham and Son no longer taking up his favoured role on the left, expect Tel to make a big impact in 2025-26.