Highlights
Bruno Fernandes signed a new contract worth £350k a week and a year extension at Manchester United.
-
Sporting Lisbon rejected a bid from Tottenham for Fernandes in 2019, one year before he went on to join the Red Devils.
His failed move to Tottenham, which infuriated him, could have drastically changed his career, benefiting Spurs.
Over the last few iterations of the Premier League, there aren't too many footballers who can stake a claim of having been as important a signing as Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United. Signing back in 2020, Fernandes has been an ever-present, ever-consistent star in the United first team, and has since been named club captain amid a constant stream of stellar performances.
He has now been rewarded with a fresh contract, which will see him take home £350k a week as well as adding an extra year to his glittering spell at Old Trafford. However, this may not have been the case had Tottenham struck a deal with the Portuguese midfielder one year prior to his Red Devils arrival.
Spurs were reportedly on the brink of signing Fernandes, but his club, Sporting Lisbon, decided to reject the club's bid, and no further offer was made. Fernandes would eventually strike his dream move with a Manchester switch, but his Premier League life could have been very different to the way it ended up.
Fernandes: "I was angry"
The Manchester United star was nearly a Tottenham man
What a different story it could have been for Bruno Fernandes had his move to north London remained on course. The midfielder has been outed as one of the Premier League's very finest operators, and his rise to prominence as club captain, taking over the reigns from Harry Maguire, always seemed a matter of when rather than if.
But although it worked out for Fernandes in the end, he was said to have been infuriated by his failed move to Tottenham.
Related
Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes and Martin Odeagaard all feature in the Premier League's top 12 midfielders right now.
The then-24-year-old was desperate to make the jump to the English top flight, but his side rejected Tottenham's final attempt to purchase him, meaning another year in his home country was on the cards before finally making his hugely successful English switch, by way of United instead.
Speaking to The Athletic about the failed move, back in 2022, Fernandes expressed his frustration at not being able to join Tottenham:
"The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me. The president (Frederico Varandas) spoke with me, but he spoke with me on the wrong day.
"It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham, and I was really angry. Luckily for me, the manager (Marcel Keizer) was the right one at the right time. At the beginning of January, my agent said, 'You don't need to worry, because any time I bring you a club, it will be a dream club for you'. He knew that the dream club was Man United."
Fernandes was an instant success at Manchester United, arriving during lockdown in the 19/20 season. In his first 14 Premier League matches, he scored eight goals and provided another seven to instantly make an impact, before continuing his fine numerical form with a haul of 18 goals and 12 assists in his first full campaign.
His time at Manchester United has been exceptional, and his new, expensive contract is more than worthwhile.
Tottenham Midfielders Since
Spurs have lacked an attacking force from midfield
Tottenham surely could have done with a player withholding the talents of Bruno Fernandes, given their general lack of attacking spark from the bulk of their midfielders since then. James Maddison is currently installed in the role, and started strongly in his north London career at the start of last season, winning the Premier League Player of the Month, but injury issues and subsequent poor form saw him drop off a touch, leaving him exiled from the England squad that went to Germany for Euro 2024.
The likes of Rodrigo Bentancur have their own individual qualities but do not hold the outstanding output provided by Fernandes. Had the Portugal international made his way over to north London in 2019, as had widely been expected at the time, who knows what his career would have turned out following on from the lost move?
Manchester United, though poor last season save for an FA Cup win, are eternally grateful to have him, and could have been far worse off over the last few years without his services at hand.
Comments