Bruno Fernandes has become a Premier League star at Manchester United but the midfielder could have previously joined Tottenham Hotspur before he arrived at Old Trafford in 2020
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has explained how close he was to joining Tottenham Hotspur before arriving at Old Trafford in 2020. Fernandes joined United in the January transfer window that year – completing a deal worth up to £67.6million.
But he could have ended up at Tottenham before that United move. The Lily Whites had identified Fernandes as a potential signing in the summer of 2019 and came close to securing a deal, with interest still there in January 2020 when United eventually sealed the deal.
As football.london reported back then, the club’s hierarchy saw Fernandes and Giovani Lo Celso as both being replacements for the outgoing Christian Eriksen. Lo Celso came in initially on a season-long loan deal, which was made permanent in January, though Eriksen did not leave until the closing days of the January transfer window.
And the fact that Eriksen did not leave in the summer could have stopped Spurs from going all out for Fernandes. Now, the Portugal international has opened up on the failed move while peaking on The Diary Of A CEO podcast.
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
He said: “Yeah, I spoke with Tottenham, and we were very close to getting an agreement done. Then, in the last two days of the market, Sporting just said, ‘We’re not going to sell him. We’re going to keep him because we need him’.
“Yes, because I wanted to play in the Premier League, because for me it is the best league in the world. It’s the most competitive one.
“It’s the one that I think when you grow up, you dream to play for you know, like full stadiums, top clubs, top players.
“Obviously, I was lucky enough that my dream club to play in England was Man United, and obviously, Tottenham at the time was the option I had, and I was very, very happy to join them because they showed me the process that they were going through.”
Fernandes has enjoyed a brilliant campaign at Old Trafford having registered a single-season record of 21 Premier League assists. But the Portuguese has been criticised, with United legend Roy Keane describing Fernandes as being at the centre of a “circus act” following their 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on the penultimate weekend of the season.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
His anger over Keane’s comments were clear on the podcast, released on Monday – accusing the Irishman of “lying”. The 31-year-old said: “Like I’ve always said, I don’t mind criticism. I’ve always taken criticism from everyone and anyone and I never reply to anything or whatsoever.
“People have an opinion; they think it’s good, bad, whatever. What I don’t like is when people lie about things and [in] this case that you said about Roy Keane basically what he said is a lie because… either he saw some other interview or he can’t say that I said one thing that I’ve just not said and luckily for me is everything on record.
“I accept his criticism, I accept that he might like me as a player or not, like me as a person or not. But what I don’t like is that he puts words in my mouth that have not been said. That’s the only thing I don’t like.”
