What Thierry Henry has said about ‘extraordinary’ Arsenal and Man Utd target Mathys Tel

Mathys Tel could be the perfect January transfer for Arsenal or Manchester United this month, if Thierry Henry’s verdict on the youngster is anything to go by.

Both Premier League giants are keen to bring in another goal scorer before the mid-season window closes on 3 February. Having not been given the first-team opportunities his promising talent should perhaps merit, Tel, 19, has asked to leave Bayern Munich before that deadline passes.

There are no shortage of suitors with Tottenham also keen on a loan move for the French star. Chelsea would appear to be out of the running with reports in Germany suggesting he is not keen on a move to Stamford Bridge where minutes on the pitch would be no guarantee.

A lack of regular football is the leading reason why Tel is pushing to leave and United and Arsenal could certainly deliver that.

Arsenal’s need for a centre forward is well-documented and the right addition now could be the difference between overdue silverware and more disappointment. The absences of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus heightens that necessity.

United’s paucity in front of goal has been one of their many problems this term with Rasmus Hojlund – without a goal in his last 10 games – and Joshua Zirkzee mustering just five between them all season.

Tel is two-footed and can play across the forward line had has shown signs of being a proven goal scorer when given the opportunity – starting last season with a run of five goals in eight games.

Arsenal legend Henry revealed his admiration for the teenager last year, eventually unable to call upon him for France’s 2024 Olympics campaign after Bayern denied him permission.

With his ability to both take and create chances, Henry also pinpointed his desire to press from the front as one of his key attributes – something that would be music to the ears of Mikel Arteta and Ruben Amorim.

‘He does extraordinary things,’ Henry said. ‘When he enters a match, you see it.

‘Already, he is scoring goals. When he comes on, he always faces forward. And even if he plays only one minute, he creates two chances.

‘This is not to be overlooked. Of course, he still has things to work on, playing with his back to goal, with his control.

‘But he already has what you sometimes have to say to an attacker; “You have to press , you have to run behind the defence, you have to be tough.”

‘He already does all that, and scores goals. It’s still quite impressive, especially considering his minutes.’

Before his sudden departure from Bayern in March 2023, Julian Nagelsmann envisioned Tel developing into a world class forward capable of eventually replacing Robert Lewandowski at the focal point of Bayern’s attack.

‘He’s a very young, talented player who can play different positions. He’s very quick, strong with his body,’ Nagelsmann said.

‘He’s good at defending the ball with his back towards the opponent’s goal. I have the vision that he could score 40 goals [in a season like Robert Lewandowski] one day in the future.’