It's a shift in outlook that followed directly from Roberto De Zerbi's decision to make him a first-team regular.
Sky Sports reported that the 21-year-old, who joined on loan from Bayern Munich in February 2025 before the transfer was made permanent for £35 million in the summer, now wants to remain at the club and establish himself in a stable environment under the Italian head coach.
Tel is seeking assurance that the trust De Zerbi has shown him in the final weeks of the season will be maintained as Tottenham restructure ahead of 2026-27. That assurance, from the club's perspective, appears straightforward to give.
Since De Zerbi took charge at the end of March, Tel has featured in every match and started each of the final four. Under previous managers Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, he was consistently on the periphery — omitted from the Champions League squad on two separate occasions under Frank and rarely trusted with consistent starts.
De Zerbi had flagged his interest in Tel long before arriving at Spurs, revealing in his first press conference that he had attempted to sign the forward during his time at Marseille. His assessment of Tel has been consistent since.
"Great reaction," De Zerbi said after one difficult individual performance. "Very mature guy, maybe more so outside the pitch than on it because he hasn't played that many games. He's a lovely guy, strong character and in the future he can play better and better and become a great player for us."
Tel's season returned four goals and one assist across 38 appearances in all competitions — modest numbers given his profile, but the context of a chaotic season in which Spurs cycled through three managers explains the inconsistency. He turned 21 in April and is contracted until June 2031.
Tottenham narrowly survived relegation on the final day and will now attempt to rebuild under De Zerbi, who signed a five-year deal on arrival. Tel's decision to commit rather than seek a fresh start elsewhere is one of the more encouraging early signals of the new era.