New Tottenham midfielder Mateus Fernandes has labelled head coach Roberto De Zerbi as a key factor behind joining the club.
Spurs reached an agreement with West Ham to capture the services of Fernandes on Tuesday for a guaranteed fee of £85million, the Press Association understands, before the transfer was officially confirmed on Thursday.
Fernandes has signed a long-term contract with the Premier League club and will aim to avoid the unwanted ignominy of a third consecutive relegation after unsuccessful survival battles with Southampton and West Ham in recent seasons.
“I’m very excited for this next step. Spurs is a massive club and the head coach was a key part of why I have decided to join,” Fernandes told the official club website.
“When we spoke, it was very special. We look at football in the same way – going onto the pitch as a strong team, with fight and energy, to try and win every game.
“I can’t wait to get started, to meet the fans, to meet everyone and give everything for the club.”
Portugal international Fernandes emerged as a key target for De Zerbi after a strong individual campaign with West Ham where he was deployed as a deep-lying midfielder and credited for his progressive ability on the ball alongside his strong defensive attributes.
Manchester United initially led the chase for Fernandes, who was also admired by Paris St Germain and Real Madrid, but Tottenham made clear their desire to sign the 21-year-old and showed their financial power with a big-money move.
De Zerbi said: “I’ve admired Mateus for a long time because he combines quality on the ball with the intensity and intelligence that are so important in the way we want to play.
“Despite his age, he already has good experience in the Premier League and has shown quality and consistency.
“Mateus is comfortable under pressure, can progress the ball, works hard for the team and has the courage to make things happen in difficult moments.
“I believe this is the ideal environment for him to continue his development and I’m excited to start working with him.”
Fernandes progressed through the academy of Sporting Lisbon and briefly played with new Spurs team-mate Pedro Porro before a strong loan spell at Estoril alerted Southampton to him in 2024.
A tally of four goals and seven assists for Saints could not prevent relegation, but West Ham paid in the region of £40million to sign the highly-rated youngster and he will now join De Zerbi’s revolution at Tottenham.
The club-record signing of Fernandes follows the free transfers of Andy Robertson, Martin Dubravka and Marcos Senesi along with the £52m capture of Dutch centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke this summer, but Spurs are not finished there.
An agreement was reached with Newcastle on Wednesday for Italy international Sandro Tonali in a deal which could be worth an overall package of £100m.
Majority owners the Lewis family promised to be “all in” to fund the necessary rebuild after back-to-back 17th-place finishes and the aforementioned transfers will take Spurs’ spending up to £237m during this window.
Tottenham will target attacking reinforcements next, with interest in Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi.