Former Manchester United winger Nani has claimed that he persuaded compatriot Bruno Fernandes to snub a move to Tottenham in favour of joining the Red Devils.
Tottenham were heavily linked with a move for Fernandes during the summer of 2019 (Standard) when Mauricio Pochettino was still in charge but the midfielder ended up staying put at Sporting Lisbon, with the North Londoners instead snapping up Giovani Lo Celso.
Man Utd ended up paying £67.6 million to bring him to Old Trafford in the subsequent January transfer window (BBC Sport).
The Portuguese international has been a revelation since arriving in the Premier League and he has since admitted that he came close to joining Spurs but that the North London club refused to pay Sporting’s asking price.
Some Spurs fans on social media see the club’s inability to land Fernandes as a major failing on the part of Daniel Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy.
Nani, who spent seven years at United, has now revealed that he told Fernandes to join United over their Premier League rivals.
The 34-year-old told The Athletic: “When I went to Orlando I saw the news and I texted him because I was seeing Man City and Man United and Tottenham were fighting for him.
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“I said, ‘If you have to go, you choose Man United! It’s the best’.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Our transfer business in Pochettino’s last window as Spurs boss has certainly cost dearly. We spent well over £100m on Ndombele, Lo Celso, Sessegnon and Clarke that summer and none of them have really made the expected impact at Spurs. In hindsight, our decision to not pay more to land Fernandes that summer was a major mistake.
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