“Deal on” for Spurs to sign club record signing Mateus Fernandes

Tottenham Hotspur’s last Premier League survival came at the expense of West Ham United, and the Lilywhites are now set to pounce on their city rivals again this summer.

It was only last year that Spurs moved to bring in Mohammed Kudus from N17 in a £55m deal, joining the likes of Scott Parker, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe in trading east London for north London in the 21st century.

By all accounts, that trend could be repeated as Roberto De Zerbi’s side face Manchester United in a bid to sign the Hammers’ Mateus Fernandes, the 21-year-old who only joined the club in a £40m deal last year.

It is expected to take a lot more than that to make a deal this time, however, with the Portuguese player emerging as one of the key targets of De Zerbi’s new regime.

“Work together” as Spurs increase club record in line with Fernandes deal

There are conflicting reports about the future of Fernandes, although it cannot be denied that the Spurs put on a great performance, doing everything in their power to chase the Red Devils away in this hotly contested game.

The suggestion is that both clubs are close to agreeing personal terms with the player, with the focus now on who will agree to meet West Ham’s £80m asking price.

As revealed by Fabrizio Romano – speaking on his YouTube channel – there is no clear favorite yet in the battle for Fernandes, “both clubs are talking to West Ham” at the moment.

The situation is slightly different in relation to Spurs’ other top target, however, with Romano explaining that it will “work” for Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali, who have seen their rivals drop out of the picture.

“So today I keep mentioning Tottenham and Tonali. Tonali and Tottenham. I’m standing my ground. Tottenham are working on a deal to sign Sandro Tonali and that’s it.

“Work [at] Tottenham of Tonali. I don’t come here to talk about Man City. I don’t come here to mention other clubs.

“As I told you about Tonali at Tottenham last week, other clubs are no longer talking to me at least. So let’s follow the situation, but the deal is open”.

In terms of price tag, Tonali could outbid Fernandes, with reports that the deal could be closer to £100m, which would represent a club-record move for the Lilywhites.

Tonali will be Spurs’ real statement signing this summer

There is much excitement surrounding Fernandes following a dominant season at struggling West Ham, with the former Southampton youngster scoring and assisting seven goals in the Premier League.

That came after a six-goal haul the year before for the Saints, enjoying a promising first few years in England on a personal level, despite a string of abuses.

Whether that kind of form warrants such an investment, £80m plus investment is another matter, however, it is not fair to suggest that Spurs will be making a huge profit by signing Tonali.

Fernandes, just 21 years old, is a top player, although in Tonali’s case, he already seems to be perfect, among the real cream of the crop when it comes to Premier League midfielders.

According to United legend Paul Scholes, the Italian could be the best player, hailed by the Englishman as “the best [Declan] Rice” at the beginning of last season.

According to his agent, Tonali is already “one of the best midfielders in the world”, as he has been a force to be reckoned with in a Newcastle shirt.

The classic number eight, who hits the boxes, Tonali is a real horse in the middle of the park, significantly improving on Fernandes last season in terms of tackles and interceptions per 90, according to Scout Lab (2.23 vs 1.85).

When the Magpies star was more effective than his impact at the end of the field, he also improved the Portuguese in the last quarter in terms of continuous passing (3.36 vs 3.24) and advanced to the final third (5.80 vs 4.32).

Tonali has also proved himself at a string of clubs, scoring 20 goals and assisting in 110 games for Newcastle, while matching that tally in 130 games for AC Milan. In Italy, he also scored 22 goals and assisted in 86 games for Brescia.

Fernandes, while still only 21, has not had the same career yet, making just 129 appearances during his time in England and Italy.

He may reach Tonali’s level before too long, yet haven’t Spurs gone down the same route before, signing young, emerging talents like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall?

It’s not often that they seem to find top talent that really breaks through to the top, as Tonali seems to be a real change in that regard.