It appears that Mateus Fernandes has made a great impression at Tottenham Hotspur during the first few weeks of pre-season.
After nearly going down last season, many may have expected Spurs to struggle to attract top players to the club this summer, but it has been anything but the case.
The Lilywhites have secured six highly sought-after players with vast Premier League experience, who would be expected to hit the ground running at N17.
The headline additions so far have been the two midfielders, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, who Spurs spent a combined £185m to bring through the door.
Tottenham expect Mateus Fernandes to become one of the best in the world
Roberto De Zerbi reportedly had multiple phone calls with Fernandes to convince the former West Ham man that Spurs, rather than Man United, would be the right move for him.
Alasdair Gold has revealed that the Lilywhites’ recruitment department felt that the 22-year-old’s stats pointed to someone who could evolve into a top player, and what the club have seen from him over the last few weeks has convinced them they were right.
The journalist said on his YouTube channel: “Fernandes scored that incredible goal against MK Dons, and he’s only 18 months older than Archie Gray, but he’s got a similar all-round ability, I think.
“But he’s just got this ceiling that is probably higher than most in the game. Honestly, people inside the club are so excited about him, Mateus Fernandes, because I think they knew he was going to be class.
“They knew the stats suggested he was going to be class, and then they’ve worked with him up close and personal, and they’ve realised, ‘holy moly, this is a guy that could be one of the best in the midfield in the game’.”
Spurs have not gambled by paying big for Tonali and Fernandes
Not only have Tottenham had a huge outlay in terms of the transfer fee on the two midfielders, but Fernandes and Tonali are both also on huge contracts at the club, with the Italian now being the club’s highest-paid player.
Some may feel that the Lilywhites have taken a gamble and have overpaid to get the pair, but one can understand why Spurs see it differently.
It can be argued that spending £50m-£60m on a player with no Premier League experience is a bigger gamble than spending £85m-£100m on players who are proven in England, as they are far less likely to flop.
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