During Sir Alex Ferguson's 27-year reign at Manchester United, the club rarely ever missed out on their top transfer targets, but times have changed as Tottenham stole a march on the Red Devils this summer.
Following West Ham United's relegation from the Premier League, Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes became one of the hottest properties in the transfer market. Just 22 years old, Fernandes was one of the only bright sparks at the London Stadium in the 2025-26 season.
But where would he end up? Would the midfielder join last season's 17th-place side or the 20-time champions of England? Well, to many people's surprise, Fernandes opted for the former.
Why Mateus Fernandes Snubbed Man Utd For Spurs
After missing out on a place in Roberto Martinez's Portugal squad for the 2026 World Cup, the 22-year-old had time to pick his next destination. He decided to stay in the capital, moving to north London.
Now, Fernandes has told The Athletic why he chose to join Tottenham, despite Man Utd's interest. One of the key factors came in the shape of a phone call from a World Cup winner.
Pedro Porro played a key role in Spain's triumph over the summer, and also helped out his club in the process. The full-back was at Sporting CP with Fernandes, and got in touch to convince him to become his teammate again.
Fernandes actually missed the call but was left a message by Porro, who claimed to have been the one pushing his signing. The midfielder explained:
"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.'"
He added that they did eventually have a conversation: "Then when everything was done, I spoke with him a bit about the club, the mentality in the team, the teammates as well. He’s an important player. He’s one of the best right-backs in the world. He’s a top guy."
Roberto De Zerbi Also Played Key Role
Roberto De Zerbi has been trusted with a lot of money to spend after steering the club to safety in the final weeks of last season. The Italian has snapped up Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi alongside Fernandes.
The Portugal international explained the lengths De Zerbi went to when discussing a summer transfer with him "The desire of playing for a big club, winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for the title," he said when asked why he chose Spurs.