Tottenham have all but signed West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
Tottenham have been moving aggressively in this transfer window, and we saw a glimpse of that aggression as renowned transfer journo David Ornstein confirmed that the Lilywhites have won the race to sign Mateus Fernandes for a hefty £85 million fee.
The £85m that Tottenham agreed with West Ham for his signing helped the Lilywhites beat Manchester United to his services after the Hammers were holding firm on their ground on his price. This shows how Tottenham have become ruthless in their transfer business, something that we did not usually see in Daniel Levy’s 24-year stint as the club’s executive chairman.
The Portuguese is only 21-year-old but he has shown his quality in the two seasons he has played in the English top tier with Southampton and West Ham respectively.
But his arrival now concerns two experienced midfielders already at the club as Mateus Fernandes in the roster means both of them will now have genuine reason to wonder where exactly they fit within Roberto De Zerbi’s evolving vision of Tottenham.
Palhinha & Gallagher find themselves in the deep end with Fernandes transfer
Why Palhinha now has a serious problem
Joao Palhinha is an interesting situation given that his place at Hotspur Way has never been fully settled. His loan spell at N17 concluded with the season and there is no permanent deal being agreed at the moment. So with Fernandes coming into a midfield that already has Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Grey, it raises an uncomfortable question about where he actually fits in this roster.
Palhinha has shown his class at the very top for years now, and we also saw the glimpse of it time and again last season. If he is to find himself at Tottenham again, his role would be at the base behind Fernandes (which also makes sense tactically), as it gives defensive cover for someone like Fernandes to play more advanced.
But ideally either Bentancur or Sarr can also play this role. Even Archie Grey in that matter, which makes Palhinha’s need a bit peculiar, especially given how there is still no permanent deal in place. And with the Lilywhites continuing to substantially reinforce the midfield, the leverage that Palhinha would have enjoyed maybe a month ago looks considerably weaker today than it did before Fernandes was confirmed.
Why Gallagher’s position is equally uncertain
Tottenham brought in Conor Gallagher in a marquee deal just last winter in a deal that was seen with lot of optimism by the North Londoners supporter. His every running engine, complemented by his eye to make something happen, was an exciting prospect for a side struggling at the wrong side of the table.
But he did not make the impact that many believed he could. He was an energetic midfield presence but was easily run out of the game. That being said, his contribution at the far end of the season under De Zerbi surely improved.
Thought Tottenham are no longer in survival mode, now Tottenham have to think about undertaking a meaningful rebuilt that can aid them chase their ambition for Champions League football. And Gallagher’s is someone whose main traits lie in work rate, pressing, carrying the ball into the final third. But they are also the traits that Fernandes brings to the roster and considerably with more technical quality, greater creativity, and a decade of development still ahead of him.
And adding to that, he would also be operating in the same central zones of the pitch where Gallagher had been operating.
It does look like De Zerbi will likely settle on a midfield duo of Tonali alongside Fernandes (if Tottenham are also to sign the former after agreeing on personal terms with him). And then Gallagher would be nothing less than a rotational option.
Author Opinion
With Fernandes’s deal through the line, adding to the arrivals of van Hecke, Senesi and Robertson, with Tonali also a possibility, you are suddenly seeing the Lilywhites redefine the club in a single transfer window.
This is not just a good summer; it feels like a new era because this aggression that we are looking at from Tottenham in the window is different from the cautious and reactive model that the club adopted under Levy.
For Palhinha and Gallagher, while both of them had meaningful contributions last season but that would not be enough for them to earn themselves a prominent role in what comes next, or whether it simply marks them as players who were useful during the darkest chapter before a better version was built around them.