Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to make a swoop for Sporting Lisbon midfielder this summer but will now have to compete against the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool. The Blues have already made contact with the player’s representatives, leaving Mauricio Pochettino a step behind in the transfer race.
This obviously comes at a very troubling period for the Portuguese outfit as almost half a dozen of their starting XI players are threatening to terminate their existing contracts. Rui Patricio, Daniel Podence and coach Jorge Jesus have already ended ties with the club with 4 other players including Fernandes to follow feat.
Spurs or any of the interested could turn this crisis into an opportunity for themselves and sign the attacking midfielder for free this very summer. The 23-year-old was already being targeted by plenty of clubs due to his exploits for the Leos this past season.
Fernandes could not get his side a place in next year’s Champions League but still managed to light up the European stage with his individual displays. He tapped in 16 goals for the side and furthered 20 assists in his 56 total appearances.
The attacking midfielder only moved to the Estádio José Alvalade last summer from Sampdoria for £7m. Fernandes signed a 5-year contract also inclusive of a reported buyout clause worth £89m. He managed to earn a spot in the 23-man Portugal final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, giving him a chance to extend his 6 senior team caps for his country.
The 23-year-old is one of the hottest talents in the Primera Liga and was already highly rated at the Udinese and Sampdoria ranks. Ever since his start to professional football, Fernandes has already been one of the most talented players in his batch.
He made his Serie B debut after spending only a few weeks with the Novaro youth ranks and went on to appear in almost half of the club’s league games, that season. He scored 11 and assisted a further 13 in his 95 appearances for Udinese to fully set himself up in the Italian top-flight.
Fernandes is playing his best football at the moment and could easily find a place in the Tottenham squad. Pochettino is looking for creative heads ahead of the 2018/19 season who will be able to bring some competition to the attacking midfield role.
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Currently, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen are cemented starters with none other than Harry Winks in the squad as a backup. Fernandes will be able to fill in as a rotational option to help Spurs attain a higher spot in the Premier League table next term.
