New signing Mateus Fernandes already has his Tottenham shirt number.
The Portugal midfielder completed an £85m move from London rivals West Ham on Thursday, with Spurs breaking their transfer record in the process.
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A familiar number for Fernandes
And it’s been confirmed that Fernandes will wear the number 18 shirt for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
The 21-year-old takes the number from fringe player Yang Min-hyeok.
Twenty-year-old South Korea international Yang has yet to make a senior appearance for Spurs, spending time on loan in the Championship last season with Portsmouth and Coventry City.
Fernandes wore 18 in his sole campaign at West Ham, who he joined from Southampton last summer.
He’ll be hoping it’s a case of third time lucky at Spurs, having been relegated from the Premier League with each of his last two clubs.
Reacting to Fernandes’ arrival on, head coach De Zerbi told the club’s website: “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 at this level. 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.”
Not everyone has been so enthusiastic about Spurs’ latest signing, however.
Ahead of the deal being completed, former Watford striker Deeney told eSPORTY’s White and Jordan questioned whether Fernandes was really the player to ‘change the mentality’ at Tottenham after his successive relegations.
Tonali to trump Fernandes?
Despite the hefty fee exchanged, Fernandes might not be Spurs’ record signing for very long.
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eSPORTY understands that Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali is on the verge of sealing a £100m switch to North London.
Spurs have already brought in five players as they look to steer well clear of a relegation scrap in 2026/27.
Centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke has arrived from Brighton for £52m, with Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka all joining as free agents.
eSPORTY’s Jamie O’Hara recently urged his former club to add Marcus Rashford to that list, with the England star’s Manchester United future still up in the air after Barcelona opted against making his loan spell permanent.
Tottenham have finished 17th in each of the last two Premier League campaigns.
They pipped West Ham to survival by two points last term, ensuring they remain one of the Premier League’s six ever-present clubs.
