Mateus Fernandes has outlined why he chose to sign for Tottenham in a club-record £85m deal despite interest from Michael Carrick and Manchester United
Mateus Fernandes has revealed that Roberto De Zerbi was one of the main reasons behind why he snubbed Manchester United for Tottenham.
United had been long linked with a move to Fernandes before Tottenham accelerated their interest and beat them in the race for the 22-year-old Portugal international. Indeed, last month Spurs confirmed the signing of Fernandes from West Ham for a club-record £85million.
Now, Fernandes has opened up on his move to Tottenham and the decision behind joining the north London club despite interest from United and elsewhere.
Asked why he chose to sign for Spurs, Fernandes told The Athletic: "The desire of playing for a big club, winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for the title.
"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. It was more about (forming a) connection, because my dad and my mum don’t speak English very well. It was more about feelings. 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."
Fernandes was relegated with Southampton before suffering the same fate with West Ham last season. But that still didn't put off suitors with Tottenham smashing their transfer record to sign him.
As well as speaking to De Zerbi, Fernandes added that a conversation with former Sporting CP teammate Pedro Porro was crucial in him making the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Recalling an exchange with Spain World Cup winner Porro, Fernandes said: "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.'
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"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."