Tottenham have signed Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich on loan with a £45m option to buy after the forward dramatically performed a U-turn on Deadline Day, having rejected the move three days earlier.
If the £45m (€55m) option is activated at the end of the season, the 19-year-old will sign a six-year deal at Spurs.
But while his loan arrival is a welcome addition for Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, the club's injury crisis deepened with defender Radu Dragusin to miss the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury.
Tottenham failed to add further defensive cover on Deadline Day, with target Axel Disasi joining Aston Villa on loan from Chelsea.
Spurs also had a bid rejected by Crystal Palace for defender Marc Guehi over the weekend, with reports suggesting the offer was £70m.
Tel was Tottenham's only addition on Deadline Day ahead of Thursday's crunch Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Liverpool, live on Sky Sports, with Spurs holding a 1-0 lead in the tie.
Tottenham made three signings in the winter transfer window following the arrivals of Tel, defender Kevin Danso from Lens on loan and goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a £12.5m deal.
Postecoglou will hope the late additions of Danso and Tel can boost their hopes of salvaging their campaign, with the prospect of trophy success still possible due to participation in the Carabao Cup, Europa League and FA Cup.
The north London club are struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League as they sit 14th, with Sunday's much-needed 2-0 win at Brentford ending their four-game losing league run.
Tel, who was also attracting interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, initially turned down the opportunity to move to Spurs on Friday after a £50m deal was agreed with the Bundesliga leaders.
But in a huge U-turn, the teenager changed his mind after a long conversation with Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou on how he would be used.
Tel's agent then posted an image on Instagram of the teenager aboard a private plane which landed at Farnborough Airport before his move was confirmed 10 minutes after Monday's 11pm deadline.
Tel had been a Man Utd target but their interest ended because Bayern wanted a £5m loan fee with no buy clause in the deal.
It was seen as an expensive risk and developing the player only for Bayern or another club to benefit at the end of the temporary spell.
Tel has made 83 appearances for Bayern since joining from French club Rennes in July 2022, scoring 16 goals across all competitions.
Sky Sports' Gary Neville speaking to Sky Sports News:
"Tottenham are a huge draw, the stadium and the training ground - and the manager with his style of football. It's a thrilling style that creates chances.
"I'm glad Tel is going there after flirting with a couple of other clubs. Tel will improve Spurs.
"They have a big couple of weeks coming up. Sometimes players like the idea of playing for a club but the important thing is to play football. That's what Tottenham can provide him.
"They are an amazing football club with an amazing fanbase and they have some great games coming up that he can contribute in."
Sky in Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg speaking to Sky Sports News:
"This is a very good solution for Tel, Tottenham and Bayern.
"He has reconsidered his decision. He was in talks with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham but I'm convinced that in the end Spurs have presented the best project in order to get match practice. This is the most important for Tel.
"Now it's up to Postecoglou to place him in the right position. He's not a winger, he's a striker. Let him strike, let him score goals!"
This is how Sky Sports News brought you a bizarre 72-hour period for Tottenham in the final days of the window...
January 31 - 9.50am: Spurs and Bayern Munich agree a £50m fee for forward Mathys Tel
January 31 - 5pm: Spurs begin talks with AC Milan over a deal for Fikayo Tomori
January 31 - 5.30pm: Tel rejects the chance to join Tottenham
January 31 - 7.50pm: Spurs' talks with Tomori reach an advanced stage
February 1 - 10.15am: Tomori decides to stay at AC Milan
February 1 - 10.20pm: Tottenham hijack Wolves' deal to sign Lens centre-back Kevin Danso.
February 2 - 9.30am: Spurs announce the loan signing of Danso
February 2 - 4.30pm: Spurs open talks with Chelsea over deal for Axel Disasi
February 3 - 9.30am: Spurs end their interest in Disasi
February 3 - 10.30am: News emerges of £70m bid for Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi being rejected over the weekend, with Spurs still looking to sign a centre-back before the 11pm deadline
February 3 - 2.15pm: Tel dramatically U-turns on his decision and flies to London to join Spurs from Bayern.
February 3 - 11.10pm: Ten minutes after the winter window shuts, Spurs announce the signing of Tel.
