Sporting CP skipper Bruno Fernandes has finally spoken up after failing to secure a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in last summer's transfer window. The 25-year-old midfielder has revealed that he was 'eager' to make the move to North London outfit which collapsed at the 11th hour.
Prior to the transfer market shutting close in ahead of the 2019/2020 football season, Fernandes was heavily linked with a move to the English Premier League. The former Udinese and Sampdoria player who managed 29 goals and 17 assists for Sporting in the season before was rumored to be the a prime target for Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
However, in the latter days leading to the end of the window, Spurs emerged as front-runners in the pursuit for the Portuguese attacker's signature having identified him and Giovani Lo Celso as ideal targets. The entourage of Fernandes and Spurs were both involved in talks but in the end no breakthrough was made in the negotiations.
Instead, the Londoners brokered a deal to bring Lo Celso to England while the player committed his future at Sporting by penning a new deal. When queried in an interview with Portuguese outlet Record on the failed move, Fernandes maintained that what happened was unfortunate as he saw Spurs as the ideal destination for him.
"In the summer I thought I could go out. I believed it was a good time to leave due to many factors. I made the best time of my career to date.
"After the UEFA Nations League, there were already many contacts, especially with Tottenham. It was the team that wanted me the most and was the only one I agreed to talk with, because there were other clubs that didn't interest me or whose project was not up to my expectations.
"Tottenham fit into everything I wish I had at that moment. It is an appealing championship. Knowing that Tottenham would be willing to pay for me and make every possible effort to take me, leaves a player eager to take that step."
