Pedro Porro Tottenham
Pedro Porro Tottenham
Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram
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Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP via Getty Images
Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP via Getty Images
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Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Jamie Carragher believes Man United missed a trick by not signing a player who arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer window.
Spurs made wholesale changes to their squad in the summer, bringing 10 new players through the door to completely overhaul the squad in a single window.
Incomings
Andrew Robertson Free
Marcos Senesi Free
Martin Dubravka Free
Jan Paul van Hecke £52m
Mateus Fernandes £85m
Sandro Tonali £100m
Savinho £85m
Omar Marmoush £60m
Tosin Adarabioyo £12m
Mykhailo Mudryk Loan
Total spent £394m
After Tottenham’s poor start to the season, many pundits were questioning Spurs’ summer transfer business, suggesting that Roberto De Zerbi’s side had overpaid for many of their players.
However, many of the club’s new arrivals are now coming into their own, and two of them, whom the club paid a combined £185m for, showed at Stamford Bridge exactly why they cost top dollar.
Mateus Fernandes Tottenham
Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram
Jamie Carragher believes Man Utd will regret allowing Mateus Fernandes to join Tottenham
Fernandes started in his preferred number six role for the first time in the clash against Chelsea on Saturday, and the 22-year-old delivered a masterclass alongside Sandro Tonali.
Appearances 8
Minutes Played 376
Average Rating 6.72
Goals 0
Assists 0
Passes 306
Key Passes 7
Pass Accuracy (%) 93.00
Yellow Cards 2
Red Cards 0
The former West Ham man broke up play in front of the back four impressively and showed great technique and awareness in helping De Zerbi’s men progress the ball.
Carragher has now revealed that he was very impressed with the Portuguese star at the London Stadium last season and suggested that United missed a trick by not signing him.
The Liverpool legend said on The Overlap Fan Debate: “I’m a big fan of Fernandes. He hadn’t started the season well. I didn’t understand why the manager was playing him in the number 10 role. Then sometimes he wasn’t playing, but I watched him for West Ham United a few times last season, and I thought he was a player.
“He was the one I think Manchester United should have just gone for. I know they brought three in. They should have just brought two, and he was one of them. He was young, plenty of time to improve. He looked class for West Ham last season, and that was the first time I’ve seen him in a Tottenham shirt really look the part. I think he’s a player.”
Mateus Fernandes’ stats from Chelsea vs Tottenham:
Touches: 121 (most in the match)
Accurate passes: 91/99 (most in the match)
Successful open play passes: 87 (most in the match)
Passes in opposition half: 43 (most in the match)
Successful final third passes: 13 (most in the match)
Line-breaking passes: 19 (most in the match)
Penalty area entries: 6 (most in the match)
Accurate crosses: 2 (most in the match)
Chances created: 2 (joint-most in the match)
xG + xA: 0.18
Tackles: 5 (most in the match)
Defensive contributions: 14
Duels won: 6
Possession won: 6
Distance covered: 11.0 km
Top speed: 28.4 km/h
Spurs’ transfer strategy has been vindicated while Man Utd’s is costing them
A lot of Man Utd fans were quick to suggest that Tottenham had overpaid for Tonali and Fernandes, and praised their board for landing the likes of Andre Santos and Youri Tielemans at a discount.
Appearances 5
Minutes Played 270
Average Rating 6.69
Goals 0
Assists 0
Passes 196
Key Passes 3
Pass Accuracy (%) 89.00
Yellow Cards 2
Red Cards 0
However, the vast majority of the same United fans would happily take the Spurs duo over the three midfielders they signed, given how poor they have looked this season.
Tottenham’s decision to show faith in De Zerbi by paying a premium for top targets is now bearing fruit, while United are learning that when you buy cheap, you may end up buying twice, which is something Spurs fans are painfully aware of from the Daniel Levy era.