Tottenham pipped Manchester United to the signing of highly-rated midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham this summer.
After avoiding relegation on the final day of last season, head coach Roberto De Zerbi has been putting his stamp on Tottenham Hotspur with a flurry of new arrivals.
Spurs have brought in Sandro Tonali for £100 million, a club-record signing from Newcastle United that eclipsed the £85 million capture of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, which was completed days earlier. Jan Paul van Hecke has also been signed from Brighton for a fee of £52 million, whilst Andy Robertson, Martin Dubravka and Marcos Senesi have all been snapped up on free transfers.
When it comes to Mateus Fernandes, Spurs sent shockwaves when they beat Manchester United to the player’s signing. The North Londoners spent a fortune to make it two summers in a row in which they stole away one of West Ham’s most valuable assets.
Man United notably were very much keen on the 22-year-old but were not ready to break the bank for him. Spurs sensed an opportunity to showcase their ambition and got the Portuguese midfielder in.
Jamie Carragher makes admission on Man United missing out on Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has questioned Man United for not signing Fernandes. After missing out on the 22-year-old to Tottenham, the Red Devils have signed Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans to bolster their midfield unit. And the English pundit has suggested Michael Carrick’s club signed the wrong midfielder, insisting they should have beaten Tottenham to a deal for the Portuguese talent.
“I was a little bit worried when I saw United linked with Fernandes because I thought that could be a good signing,” Jamie Carragher said on The Overlap.
“I just looked at him and his age and was surprised United didn’t go for Fernandes. They said it was too expensive, but was it that expensive?
“I know £85m is a lot, but you’re never going to get a really top midfielder now for £50m.”
Roberto De Zerbi’s charm offensive on Fernandes
Tottenham acted decisively and aggressively to bring Fernandes from West Ham, despite significant interest from Man United. At the start of the month, the central midfielder revealed how De Zerbi pulled out all the stops to bring him into N17, going to the length of telling his parents that he would be his “second dad in England”.
This personal effort and emotional connection quickly touched Fernandes and his parents’ hearts and became the decisive factors in him choosing a move to Tottenham over Man United. Such organic warmth, sincerity, honesty and love go far beyond tactical and technical aspects of the game.
Rated as one of the most exciting midfield talents in the world, Fernandes is as comfortable dribbling through the midfield as he is breaking lines with passes. The one-cap Portugal international has the ingredients and potential in his game to form a fantastic partnership with fellow summer signing Sandro Tonali in the centre of the park, which could become the envy of the Premier League.
