Since the departure of Harry Kane, Tottenham has been missing a reliable striker – newcomer Mathys Tel has not yet gained a foothold and Timo Werner is already facing the jump. A conversation with the chairman of a German spurs fan club about passion, change and the sporty crisis of Tottenham Hotspur.
Dirk Gerresheim has been pursuing Tottenham Hotspur for decades – as a fan, season ticket holder and board member of the South Germany Spurs Supporters’ Club. In addition to his interest in the Premier League, he also pursues the Bundesliga, especially Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he regularly fires the foals as a passionate all -rounder.
In conversation with Sport1, Gerresheim talks about the Spurs, the developments around Mathys Tel and Timo Werner and the upcoming Europa League duel against Eintracht Frankfurt.
“Football as it should be”
Whenever it is possible, he travels to London to support his team live in the stadium. His first game on White Hart Lane was in January 2017. Thanks to a triple pack by Harry Kane, the Spurs won 4-0 against West Bromwich Albion. “White Hart Lane-that was still football as it should be. A nice old stadium with a much better atmosphere than in this modern billion dollar temple,” explains Gerresheim.
Harry Kane has become a club legend at the Spurs over the years
With a mixture of melancholy and pride, he talks about the changes at Tottenham. The old stadium was a fortress in which Tottenham rarely made points. There is little to see from this dominance this season. Tottenham is in a sporting crisis: With only 37 points from 31 games, the club is 14th place – far behind its own requirements.
Kane’s finish weighs heavily
Since Harry Kane left Tottenham, the team has not only lacked a reliable striker, but also a player who has a significant impact on the offensive game. “As a center forward, he not only put himself in at the front, but also got the balls in the back,” Gerresheim describes the qualities of the record goal shooter. Kane’s departure left a gap that has not been closed to this day.
“Personally, it hit me very much that he went to Bavaria of all people,” admits Gerresheim. Gerresheim cannot help but laugh about the rumors about a possible return to the Premier League: “It depends on which club he wants to go to.”
“A successful audience”
“The Premier League is not the Bundesliga. Some players do not arrive. It is a successful audience,” he explains and emphasizes that not every player caught up with the high expectation pressure in England. An example of this is Timo Werner.
“He was always a very good player in the Bundesliga”, but his time in the Premier League was disappointing overall. After moving to Chelsea FC in the summer of 2020, he could never build on his goal quota from Leipzig: “He did not arrive at the clubs in London and I believe that he is better off in the Bundesliga.” In fact, after two mixed years at Chelsea, Werner returned to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2022 before moving to Tottenham in a rental base in January 2024.
But he has not been able to convince with the Spurs either. Although he came to 18 missions in the Premier League this season, he was only in the starting eleven four times and did not shoot a single league. He scored his only goal in the League Cup in October when he scored 2-1 against Manchester City.
His final strength from the past seems to have been lost. Gerresheim remembers: “I still know him from Leipzig times when he was very accurate. Now he himself awards 100%chances that he would otherwise have blindly made.”
Particularly bitter for Werner: After the commitment of Mathys Tel in February 2025, he was deleted from the Europa League squad to make room for the 19-year-old Frenchman. According to the UEFA regulations, the Spurs were only allowed to register three new players-Werner fell victim to the decision.
“Tel better fits the club”
While Werner is about to say goodbye, Gerresheim estimates Mathys Tel’s perspectives much more positively: “Tel fits better with the club. The potential is more there than with Timo Werner.” The 19-year-old changed on loan from FC Bayern to Tottenham in early February.
Gerresheim is optimistic that Tel will go his way: “He is still young and has to prove himself. But in the last games you have already seen that he has talent. There is hope, as has also been seen in his goal in the U21.” During the international break, Tel achieved a real exclamation mark: in the 4-0 win of the French U21 national team against Slovakia, he achieved a double pack.
Tel also celebrated his first goal in the league: In the 3-1 win against FC Southampton, he converted a penalty in added time and scored his first goal in the Premier League. It was Tottenham’s first victory in nine games – long -awaited three points.
Dirk Gerresheim and his wife in a game of the Spurs
“Frankfurt is beatable”
In the quarter -finals of the Europa League, Tottenham meets Eintracht Frankfurt (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker). Gerresheim expects a difficult game: “Actually, it is the absolutely last chance to play internationally next year.”
Tottenham will probably compete against the Hesse in the best line -up. If this is the case, Gerresheim remains confident: “If the players have a good day, it is feasible.”
Eintracht Frankfurt has proven in recent years how to take this competition seriously. In 2022 the SGE won the Europa League and with this international experience the club travels to London. However, Gerresheim is confident that it is clear to him that “Frankfurt beats”. He sees a possible sticking point in the game plan: “It is annoying that the second leg in Frankfurt is – the other way around, it would of course have been better.”
In the end, however, Gerresheim is about more than just placements and titles. “If I had only been on victories and success, I could also have decided on Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern or PSG. I’m hanging on Tottenham.” The Spurs are not just a football club for him – it is “true love”.