Jose Mourinho has provided another update on Gedson Fernandes in his press conference today as journalists questioned whether the midfielder would rejoin Benfica.
Fernandes is currently on loan to Spurs from the Portuguese club on an 18-month deal, although he is yet to reach the year mark in North London.
The original deal came with an option for Tottenham to buy the midfielder permanently for £42.76m come the end of his loan spell (Sky Sports).
However, Gedson has appeared just once for Tottenham all season, with that appearance coming in the League Cup, playing 63 minutes total (TransferMarkt).
The Benfica man was not included in Tottenham’s Europa League squad for the ground stages and has only made the Premier League bench once all season (TransferMarkt).
Mourinho has previously admitted that Fernandes could rejoin Benfica early in the January transfer window.
Today, he reiterated that this decision would be down to Benfica, but added that it was a sad situation and that Gedson’s motivation and happiness is low at the moment (Dan Kilpatrick).
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Mourinho’s full quotes on the situation were published by Football London: “If he remains at the club from January, I cannot answer you. I truly believe that we have to respect the player and Benfica.
“The player because he deserves all our respect and Benfica because as a friendly club deserves our respect.
“So what they decide is fundamental and what they decide will prevail. The situation is sad because he was out of the Europa League list and by being out of that list reduced immediately a chance of nine matches that we already played in the Europa League, where we had five substitutions where we rotated the players a lot and we can bring to the bench 12 players.
“To be out of these nine matches I believe that breaks confidence levels and even dynamics and routines and was very bad for him.
“Apart from that, then you go to the Premier League where he can play, but by having in the Premier League only until now six guys on the bench and the keeper I think it’s normal you go for players with more routine and match fitness.
“So these six months become really, really bad for us and for him and on top of it he’s a kid, it’s incredible what I’m going to say, but since he arrived he didn’t miss one single minute of one training session so he becomes even in low levels of happiness or motivation he’s managing to be a very good professional.
“So hopefully better days will come for him and they will come for sure, with us or without us, but better days will come for sure.”
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