'He'll be a Tottenham player, mate' - Ange Postecoglou says Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel will STAY in north London beyond his initial loan - as Spurs boss reveals how he convinced Frenchman to reject Chelsea on deadline day

Tel joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Bayern Munich on deadline day in February after he initially rejected the North London side as they looked to sign him in a permanent deal. Having signed the 19-year-old to a six-month loan deal with an option to buy in the summer for £45.7 million ($56.8m), Postecoglou has claimed Tel will stay with Spurs beyond just the current initial loan.

Speaking to the media, Postecoglou said: "He'll be a Tottenham player, mate. He'll be a Tottenham player. I think he'll show everyone he's going to be a Tottenham player in the next six months. I didn't bring him here for six months.

"I think he is very, very exciting. When you meet him you realise he’s got that bit about him as a person who has enormous self-belief and confidence in what he can do and what he wants to do. Even though he’s young, physically he’s already in a place where he can take on the enormous challenges of being an attacking player in the Bundesliga and I think he can handle the Premier League. He’s a goal-scorer, he can take people on, he’s got speed. He is exciting.

"I’d be very surprised if there was a club that wouldn’t be interested in somebody like him. Irrespective of the situation we’re in, us being able to get him in and the circumstances behind it, is fantastic for the football club. He will play a significant part in our end-of-season and beyond. I know he wants to make an impact and I'd be expecting him to make an impact."

Reports from L'Equipe have suggested that Chelsea attempted to hijack Tottenham's deal with Tel as the 19-year-old waited to fly to London from Munich to sign with Spurs. However, the star had already decided to join the Lilywhites. Postecoglou has revealed how he convinced the striker to join his side on deadline day.

The Australian said: "I got a sense pretty early on that there was a connection there and he was hearing what he wanted to hear. It is a big decision. He is a 19-year-old man at a fantastic football club. They [Bayern] would have been quite happy to keep him, I am sure, but he also knew he needed to play. But not just play. Play where he is going to develop.

"It is a credit to him that rather than just jump at what came at him, he was very thorough in the way he made his decision. I think I’ve got a pretty compelling story to tell. When I speak to players, I’m not trying to sell anything that there isn’t plenty of evidence for. I think for most players, that’s where they get comfort more than anything else. I don’t think it’s smooth-talking, or selling, I think there’s a real good story here which I really believe in.

"I speak from a real strong conviction that what I’m saying will come to fruition. I really believe that. I don’t think I need to do anything special."

The 19-year-old made his debut for Tottenham as a substitute for Richarlison in Spurs' 4-0 second-leg loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield. He will likely be in line to make his full debut on Sunday, February 9 against Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.