Mateus Fernandes has revealed his bold ambitions ahead of his first season at Tottenham Hotspur.
There is a sense of huge optimism around Spurs heading into Roberto De Zerbi’s first full season in charge, with the club having significantly strengthened their midfield and defence so far this summer.
Spurs are expected to reinforce their attack over the coming weeks, with the likes of Cody Gakpo and Savinho being pursued by the North London club.
Some pundits have said that Tottenham could challenge for Champions League qualification next season, but one of the club’s newcomers has set his sights even higher.
Mateus Fernandes believes Tottenham can fight for ‘first place’
Unlike his predecessors, Roberto De Zerbi has not been afraid to spell out his big ambitions, with the Italian stating that Tottenham deserve to compete for the top of the Premier League.
Fernandes has seconded that, with the midfielder insisting that the Lilywhites can challenge for the title next season despite coming off back-to-back 17th-placed finishes.
When asked why he signed for Tottenham, the 22-year-old told Football.London: “It was the desire of playing for a big club, of winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for first place and the way he (De Zerbi) spoke with me and my family was very important for me. He was calling me every day! So I’m very happy to work with him and hopefully we can do great things.
“We know everything can happen in the Premier League. Every match, it’s very difficult. We’re trying to look for the principles, day by day, game by game. Of course we have players that improve the team as well, and we go day by day, step by step. We will see.”
Fernandes admits he enjoys De Zerbi’s style of play
De Zerbi has already said that we will see a very different Tottenham side next season, explaining that he has time to work on the team’s style during pre-season, which he did not have during the club’s relegation battle a few months ago.
Fernandes believes that the Italian’s style is a great fit for his attributes, and he is looking forward to combining with Sandro Tonali and the club’s other midfielders.
When asked about De Zerbi’s philosophy, the Portuguese star said: “This is one of the reasons [I signed] because with Mr Roberto’s style, it’s a style that I want to play and I can be much better than I was.”
When quizzed on his partnership with Tonali, he said: “Not just Sandro, the other midfielders, we have a lot of good guys playing in midfield so I can learn with them as well. Sandro for me is one of the best players, he’s shown last season. So I just want to learn with Mr Roberto, with his staff and hopefully I can be stronger.”