Bruno Fernandes – Tottenham’s future trequartista?

The Premier League’s monopoly over European club competition last season brought an end to five years of Spanish dominance in the Champions League, as the financial might of English football finally bore fruit making the Premier League the number one football competition in the world. The Premier League’s 20 clubs made record revenues of £4.827bn in the 2017/18 season, paying a total wage amount of £2.8bn, the Guardian’s annual analysis of the clubs’ most recently published annual accounts has revealed.

Not only has the gap widened between the Premier League and other major European Leagues, two teams within the Premier League stood out compared to the rest: Manchester City and Liverpool. For now, there are no signs of any of the other 18 teams capitalizing on all that money available and bridging the gap with what is increasingly becoming a ‘big two’. The 25-point gap between second and third in the 2018/19 season was an increase from the 16-point gap the season before.

Though, with Tottenham winning the Champions League, one might say we are looking at a ‘big three’ rather than ‘big two’. But, a lot will depend on what Tottenham has planned for the coming transfer window. Spurs will certainly be looking to recruit after a self-imposed two window transfer ban and with a fundamentally strong first eleven already in place, they seem the best equipped to mount a challenge if they can make some smart signings. Recently, rumor has it that Sporting Lisbon player Bruno Fernandes could be the big signing Spurs fans are waiting for.

Tottenham Hotspur held talks with the agent of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes this week in a move that could force Manchester United to make a final decision on the Portugal international. Fernandes’ agent reached out to the north London club for the meeting, which happened on Wednesday, but London club is reluctant to get involved in a bidding war with Man United.

Fernandes enjoyed a stellar 2018/19 campaign with Sporting CP in Portugal, where he was able to register 32 goals and 18 assists in all competitions. That’s why the signing of a top player like Fernandes could be key for a team like Tottenham or Manchester United to bridge the gap with Man City and Liverpool, thus challenging the two teams for the title. With Kevin De Bruyne being the playmaker, Manchester City has shown that building a team around a top trequartista can bring success to the club.

Currently, Harry Kane is the player who can make the difference for Spurs, but only a top player on the midfield can really play a crucial role during the game. That’s where a player like Bruno Fernandes could come in the picture. The performance of the Portuguese has led to significant interest from a host of top clubs across Europe, not least Tottenham and United, the two Premier League teams have recently emerged as the front runners to land his signature this summer.

Sporting CP are thought to have placed a whopping £70m price tag on Fernandes which could encourage a bidding war between the two clubs over the next few weeks – though he is more likely to leave for less than that. Will Tottenham be able to convince the 24-year old to choose Tottenham over Man United, challenging Man City and Liverpool for the title? After two transfer windows with no new players coming in, the fans are certainly eager to see a big name being added to the squad.