Mateus Fernandes has explained why he turned down Manchester United to join Tottenham, with conversations with Roberto De Zerbi and Pedro Porro proving decisive.
Fernandes picks Spurs over United
The 22-year-old midfielder moved to Spurs from West Ham last month for a club-record fee of £85m, despite having suffered relegation from the Premier League with both Southampton and West Ham in successive seasons. He also attracted interest from other clubs, with Michael Carrick reportedly keen to bring him to Old Trafford.
Asked why he decided to sign for Tottenham, Fernandes told The Athletic: 'The desire of playing for a big club, winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for the title.'
He credited De Zerbi's persistence: '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.'
Fernandes added that the connection was built on feelings, as his parents do not speak English well. 'He said he would take care of me, that he would be my second dad in England. I'm very happy to work with him.'
Porro's influential call
Pedro Porro, who played alongside Fernandes at Sporting Lisbon, also played a key role. Fernandes recalled: 'He called me one day — I didn't answer because I was sleeping — he said, in Portuguese, "Come on Mateus, you need to play with us, we want you. It was me that told the manager to bring you."'
'Then when everything was done, I spoke with him a bit about the club, the mentality in the team, the team-mates as well. He's an important player. He's one of the best right-backs in the world. He's a top guy.'
Debut and fitness
Fernandes scored on his Tottenham debut in a 1-0 pre-season friendly win over MK Dons and featured in the 2-0 victory over Auckland. However, he was left out of the match against Sydney and missed Saturday's 2-1 win over Chelsea.
De Zerbi confirmed the decision was precautionary: 'Mateus Fernandes can be available right now to play but we don't want to take any risks with him.'
Tottenham have two more friendlies against Getafe and Hoffenheim before their Premier League opener against Brentford on August 22. Spurs finished 17th last season, avoiding relegation on the final day. Fernandes is one of several new arrivals alongside Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson.
