Mateus Fernandes learned English by watching the TV show Prison Break and now he wants to escape a relegation hat-trick by scaling new heights with Tottenham.
Spurs made the Portuguese their club record signing after agreeing an £85million deal with West Ham last month, although that record stood for just a handful of days before fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali joined Fernandes in north London in a £100million transfer from Newcastle.
Those inside Tottenham are excited about Fernandes, who only turned 22 a few weeks ago, and believe he can become one of the best midfielders in the world in the years ahead. The club battled quickly and aggressively to see off Manchester United to sign a star-in-the-making who Spurs recruitment department are certain can fit into the best midfields in the game such as Champions League winners PSG.
Roberto De Zerbi played his part in getting Fernandes through the door and did so by charming the young midfielder and his family while promising that his version of Tottenham will be one that challenges at the top. For the player, the words of the man he calls 'Mr Roberto', were all he needed to hear as the Italian promised his parents that he would become their talented son's 'second dad'.
"It was the desire of playing for a big club, of winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for first place and the way he spoke with me and my family was very important for me," said Fernandes. "He was calling me every day! So I'm very happy to work with him and hopefully we can do great things.
"It was about 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, he would be my second dad in England!"
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He added: "Now I speak with him every day, with his staff as well. He's a guy who lives for football, you know, and when you are with him every day, you can see why he's so good at his job. Not just as a manager, as a guy as well. His desire to win, his desire to play well, to beat the opponent. He's a top manager."
Fernandes' first two seasons in the Premier League brought plenty of praise. He was Southampton's Player of the Season in 2024/25 and then runner-up for West Ham's prize in the last campaign. However, his CV shows that he has been a shining light in two teams that both got relegated in those seasons.
"This is football. This is life. You need to learn about everything. The first season at Southampton was the most difficult for me because I was living alone in another country, a new language," he told football.london. "I didn't speak English and didn't have anybody there that spoke Portuguese or Spanish.
"It was a little bit difficult so it was important for me to go to West Ham and prepare well. These two seasons I learned a lot off the pitch, to after the game take my time, do other things and I'm much more ready now than I was two years ago. It was important for me.
"I was very happy at Southampton and West Ham. They always showed me a lot of love and took care of me. I was very happy then and now I'm ready for this step as well."
Fernandes' command of English is now as impressive as his command of the ball. He speaks effortlessly to supporters during the club's summer tour in Australia at Spurs House, a dedicated fan space in Sydney. However, he admitted that the classroom was not for him when it came to learning the language.
"I started with lessons last season but then after three or four of them, I said 'this is not for me'. I just speak with the guys. I try to learn, watch movies and TV series," he said.
"I was watching Prison Break again for the first time in English. Even series in Spanish I try to put on in English to understand the accent. Sometimes it's difficult with guys from Newcastle, Liverpool or Scotland, but I think it's important for you to feel the team-mates and connect with the fans, with the staff. It's important for me to speak English and understand everything."
During Tottenham's pre-season tour Down Under there was a flurry of social media activity last week when Fernandes was spotted in a club video watching a training session rather than taking part in it. Thousands of Spurs fans freaked out and wild claims were being made as if fact that the summer signing had a serious injury, some even suggesting it was an season-ending ACL one.
That all took place overnight in the UK so when the Portuguese woke up in Sydney the following morning, he was confused to find messages and calls galore from his mates.
"I saw my friends, they started to call me. They asked 'What's happened? What's happened? You're injured?' No, I'm just a little bit fatigued, but it's not too serious and now I'm ready," he said.
De Zerbi said it was fatigue in Fernandes' calf and that the midfielder would return to training when the team touches down back in the UK next week.
It was not just the Spurs boss who played his part in getting the youngster to sign on the dotted line for Tottenham as his former team-mate Pedro Porro also put in the legwork.
"He called me one day. I didn't answer because I was sleeping and he said, in Portuguese, 'Come on Mateus, you need to play with us, we want you. It was me that said to the manager to bring you!', he explained. "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 for us. He's one of the best right-backs in the world. He's a top guy."
Porro went from Spurs' relegation battle to just two months later reaching the top of the game as a star for Spain as they lifted the World Cup. He then got his own back on Fernandes when it came to getting in contact.
"I messaged him but he didn't answer me! I'm waiting. I'm waiting. Hopefully after the holidays we'll speak a little bit more," said the new recruit. "Now he needs to be off everything because he had a lot of pressure, the World Cup, the season. He needs to take his time."
Fernandes is looking forward to his new £185million midfield partnership with Tonali. The Italian told football.london a couple of days before on the pre-season tour that the Portuguese would likely be the deeper lying player of the two in the number six role with the 26-year-old pushing further up. Fernandes appeared to suggest it was still a work in progress.
"Yeah, we'll see. I think I can play more deeper, but he can play deeper as well. Depends on the game, sometimes he can play as a six and me as an eight, doesn't matter. He's a top guy, top team-mate and an amazing player as well," he said.
When Tonali was asked whether he aspired to be the best midfielder in the world, the former Newcastle man modestly said he was too old now to start that journey. Fernandes though is very much in his youth so can he look to the lofty level that the club believe is possible for him?
"This is one of the reasons [I signed] because with Mr Roberto's style, it's a style that I want to play and I can be much better than I was," he said. "Not just Sandro, the other midfielders, we have a lot of good guys playing in midfield so I can learn with them as well.
"Sandro for me is one of the best players, he's shown last season. So I just want to learn with Mr Roberto, with his staff and hopefully I can be stronger."
Fernandes also wants to remedy his heartbreak of missing out on Portugal's World Cup having made his debut just a couple of months before the competition kicked off.
"One of my targets last season was playing for Portugal in the World Cup. It was very disappointing for me not to be there but that's a thing that I can't control so I don't spend too much time on that," he admitted.
"I knew that it was very difficult because the midfielders in Portugal are very good so I need to show my quality now. I believe, I fully believe and hopefully the next World Cup I will be there."
His focus is fully on Spurs and Mr Roberto's belief that the club can undergo a remarkable rise from two 17-place finishes to competing for the Premier League title in a lighter season without European fixtures.
"We know everything can happen in the Premier League. Every match, it's very difficult. We're trying to look for the principles, day by day, game by game," said Fernandes. "Of course we have players that improve the team as well and we go day by day, step by step. We will see."