Notebook - Mathys Tel

Tom Carnduff's Notebook: Mathys Tel, Marco Asensio, Alex Palmer


In a weekend which delivered two 7-0 scorelines across England's top-two tiers, I can't believe I don't have much to say on the recent action.

Well, not that I consider worthwhile anyway. Leeds and Nottingham Forest were both good; Brighton and Cardiff were bad. Everyone now moves on with their lives.

But at least we've had a transfer window *SLAMMING SHUT* since then. The 'drama' of the final hours did not disappoint.

And why was that? Because I had no expectations for it. The winter window deadline has been rubbish for at least ten years now. There's no element of surprise to moves; there's no real wiggle room for clubs bound by financial rules.

Things did at least happen. Expected things, but things nonetheless.

So in this slightly different version of the Notebook, I've decided to focus on four of the more interesting ones.


A top Tel-ent

Tottenham have been crying out for signings all month so it's nice to see them stick to the January transfer window principles of trying to push through deals in the final day or so.

Kevin Danso is a largely underwhelming defensive addition - although he certainly falls into the category of 'we just needs reinforcements at this stage'.

The dramatic (was it?) u-turn from Mathys Tel rounded off a quieter-than-needed month or so but he's certainly an interesting prospect. The addition of a buy clause in the loan is significant as well.

On paper at least, this feels like a perfect match. Ange Postecoglou's frantic front-footed football paired with a lively and somewhat unpredictable forward player.

Mathys Tel shot map

It'll be interesting to see where they see him fitting in best but it could present a tactical switch in which Son Heung-min operates more centrally and Tel can deliver down the left side.

He may also feature through the middle but then you're effectively getting a secondary striker alongside Dominic Solanke as opposed to a traditional #10.

What Tel's arrival does present is the flexibility to change things around slightly, even if Postecoglou is stubborn in his way of playing.

He's one for the FPL team when his price is revealed.


Villa on the As-cent

Asking a group of people how they'd rate Aston Villa's winter window would present a range of answers...I think.

The turnaround in their attacking options over the space of a couple of weeks has been fascinating to watch unfold. It's almost like a rebuild in a window where you don't rebuild.

Except it isn't because these are loan additions mainly. Still, you get my point.

Emi Buendia, Jhon Duran and Jaden Philogene are out; Marco Asensio, Donyell Malen and Marcus Rashford are in to replace.

Rashford has caught the headlines for obvious reasons but I am intrigued by the arrival of Asensio for a few reasons. It feels a very Football Manager-esque move.

Marco Asensio

He's won three league titles with Real Madrid alongside Ligue 1 with PSG. He's also experienced international success after Spain lifted the Nations League trophy in 2023.

It's the flexibility he provides across the front line. Typically a winger, he has played a lot of his recent games through the middle. Rather than Rashford, does Emery potentially view Asensio as the Duran alternative?

Despite limited minutes for PSG this season he's still delivered a high shot volume alongside assists and creativity.

While the Premier League is a step-up, there's every chance he can make a real impact if he's given the minutes to work with, although the current season has shown there's still possibilities from the bench.


In the Palm of their hands

Ipswich's addition of Alex Palmer in a £4million deal with West Brom wasn't the most eye-catching of deals on deadline day but it was probably one of the smartest.

The Tractor Boys have had issues in the goalkeeping department with Arijanet Muric and Christian Walton not quite delivering consistent levels of performance.

But in Palmer, they've added a strong shot stopper from the Sky Bet Championship and one who has been able to do the fundamentals of goalkeeping well.

Alex Palmer shots faced

He's conceded 27 goals in 30 appearances with the 78 saves he's made ranking 7th among all goalkeepers in England's second tier. A considerable enough 52 of those being from shots inside the box.

Palmer's also only committed one error which has led to a shot as well. For comparison, in the Premier League, Muric has committed five which have led to goals with Walton seeing one error-caused shot coming in six appearances.

There is a step up in standard but it feels like Ipswich are focusing on getting someone who does the basics well. Should they go down, they'll also have a strong Championship goalkeeper for a promotion push.


Evan's almighty

I'm not sure why Brighton were happy to let Evan Ferguson leave the club, even if it was only on temporary loan terms to West Ham.

I always think that the sort of clubs who are chasing your players should cause concern if they're good and you're happy for them to leave. While the Hammers have struggled, Premier League interest could cause a re-think.

The Seagulls are thin on options up front now and Ferguson offered them something a bit different. It's a shame injury issues have staggered his progress.

But Brighton's loss in West Ham's gain, for the next few months at least, as he's shown his ability to score when given a consistent run of games in the past.

Evan Ferguson stats

Graham Potter doesn't have many striking options to work with and not only does Ferguson provide a direct positive impact, indirectly it also allows Jarrod Bowen to return to his preferred wide position.

Creativity needs to improve as the Hammers have averaged chances worth 0.91 expected goals (xG) per game across Potter's five at the helm but they have been solid enough in attack in recent trips to Aston Villa and Chelsea.

There is enough in this squad to make it happen though and an out-and-out centre forward massively helps the overall structure. I'll be keeping an eye on it in the early stages but there's potential in the goals line of West Ham's games.

With home games against Brentford and Leicester in their next three, Ferguson could hit the ground running.


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