Tottenham Hotspur newcomer Matheus Fernandes was interviewed by Football.London during the team's pre-season tour in Australia. He responded to previous injury rumors that caused a stir on social media, and discussed joining Tottenham Hotspur, working with Roberto De Zerbi, being relegated with his team for two consecutive seasons, and learning English.

There is great anticipation within Tottenham Hotspur for Fernandes, who recently turned 22 a few weeks ago, and a belief that he can become one of the best midfielders in the world in the future. To sign this player, regarded as a future star, Tottenham Hotspur moved quickly and actively, beating Manchester United in the competition. The club's recruitment department believes that Fernandes has the ability to integrate into the midfield system of top teams like Paris Saint-Germain. De Zerbi also played a significant role in Fernandes's arrival. He impressed the young midfielder by communicating with him and his family, while promising that Tottenham Hotspur under his management would aim for the highest goals.

Discussing De Zerbi

For Fernandes, who refers to De Zerbi as "Mr. Roberto," the Italian coach's words were enough to convince him. De Zerbi also promised Fernandes's parents that he would be a "second father" to the young player.

Fernandes said: "I want to play for a big club, I want to win games, compete for the Premier League title and first place. The way he communicated with me and my family was also very important to me. He called me every day! So I am very happy to work with him and hope we can achieve great things together. It's more of an emotional connection, because my father and mother don't speak much English. It's more of a feeling. He said he would take care of me and be my second father in England!

Now I talk to him every day, and I also talk to his coaching staff. He is a person who lives for football. When you are with him every day, you understand why he is so good at his job. He is not only an excellent head coach, but also a very good person. He wants to win, he wants to play beautiful football, and he wants to beat his opponents. He is a top coach."

Discussing being relegated with the team for two consecutive seasons

Fernandes received a lot of recognition in his first two seasons in the Premier League. In the 2024/25 season, he was named Southampton's Player of the Season; last season, he finished second in West Ham United's Player of the Season award. However, both teams were relegated in their respective seasons, and Fernandes was one of the few bright spots in both teams.

He said in an interview with Football.London: "This is football, this is life. You need to learn from everything. The first season at Southampton was the most difficult for me because I was living alone in England and facing a new language. I didn't speak English then, and there was no one around me who spoke Portuguese or Spanish. That was indeed a bit difficult, so it was very important for me to join West Ham United later and be fully prepared. In these two seasons, I also learned a lot outside the pitch, such as giving myself some time after the game to do other things.

Now I am much more prepared than two years ago, and that experience was very important to me. I was very happy at Southampton and West Ham United. They always gave me a lot of love and took good care of me. I was happy there, and now I am ready to take this step."

Discussing learning English

Today, Fernandes's command of English is as impressive as his ability to control the ball on the field. During Tottenham Hotspur's pre-season tour in Australia, he visited the "Tottenham Hotspur House" in Sydney, which was specially set up for fans, and was able to easily communicate with supporters. However, he admitted that learning English through classroom instruction was not for him.

Fernandes said: "Last season I started taking English classes, but after three or four lessons, I said: 'This is not for me.' I just kept communicating with my teammates, trying to learn, and watching movies and TV shows. I watched 'Prison Break' again, which was my first time watching it in English. Even Spanish TV shows, I would try to switch to English to understand different accents.

Sometimes, it's really difficult to understand people from Newcastle, Liverpool, or Scotland. However, I think it's very important to understand my teammates and connect with fans and staff. For me, being able to speak and understand everything in English is important."

Responding to previous injury rumors that caused a stir on social media

During Tottenham Hotspur's pre-season tour in Australia, a video released by the club last week sparked a lot of discussion on social media. In the video, Fernandes was seen watching training from the sidelines and not participating in team training. Thousands of Tottenham Hotspur fans were therefore concerned. Many exaggerated claims were also circulated on social media as facts, claiming that the summer newcomer had suffered a serious injury, with some even suggesting he had suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury that could sideline him for the season. These discussions took place late at night in the UK. When Fernandes woke up the next morning in Sydney, he found that his friends had sent him a large number of messages and kept calling him to inquire about the situation, which left him very confused.

Fernandes said: "I saw my friends start calling me. They asked: 'What happened? What happened? Are you injured?' No, I was just a bit fatigued, it's not serious, and now I'm ready."

De Zerbi later explained that Fernandes was merely experiencing calf fatigue. The midfielder will rejoin training when the team returns to the UK next week. In addition to De Zerbi, Fernandes's former teammate, Pedro Porro, also played a role in convincing him to join Tottenham Hotspur.

Fernandes explained: "One day he called me, but because I was sleeping at the time, I didn't answer. He then told me in Portuguese: 'Come on, Matheus, you need to play with us, we want you. I told the coach to bring you here!' After everything was done, I talked to him again about the club, the team's mentality, and my teammates. He is an important player for us, and one of the best right-backs in the world. He is a very good person."

Porro had previously been involved in a relegation battle with Tottenham Hotspur, but just two months later, he stood at the top of the world as a key player for the Spanish national team, winning the World Cup. However, when Fernandes sent Porro a message, the latter did not reply.

Fernandes said: "I sent him a message, but he didn't reply to me! I'm still waiting, I'm still waiting. I hope we can talk more after the holidays. Now he needs to get away from it all for a while, because he has been under a lot of pressure, including the World Cup and the entire season. He needs to give himself some time."

Discussing Tonali

Fernandes is also very much looking forward to forming a midfield partnership with Tonali, a duo valued at a combined £185 million. A few days ago, during an interview with Football.London during the pre-season tour, Tonali stated that Fernandes might play a deeper role in their partnership, as a number 6, while the 26-year-old Tonali would move further forward. However, Fernandes's response indicated that the specific division of labor between the two is still being ironed out.

He said: "Yes, we'll see. I think I can play deeper, but he can also play deeper. It depends on the specific game. Sometimes he can play as a number 6, and I play as a number 8, it doesn't matter. He is a very good person, and a very good teammate and player."

When Tonali was asked if he wanted to become the best midfielder in the world, the former Newcastle United player humbly said that he was too old to start pursuing that goal now. Fernandes is still very young, and Tottenham Hotspur believes he has the ability to reach such heights.

Regarding this goal, Fernandes said: "This is one of the reasons I chose to join. Mr. Roberto's style of football is exactly the style I want to play, and in his system, I can become even better than I was in the past. Not just Sandro, there are many other excellent midfielders in the team, and I can also learn from them. For me, Sandro is one of the best players in the world, and he proved that last season. Therefore, I just want to learn from Mr. Roberto, his coaching staff, and my teammates, and hope to become stronger."

Discussing missing out on the World Cup

Fernandes also hopes to make up for the regret of not being able to represent Portugal in the World Cup. He had just made his debut for the Portuguese national team a few months before the World Cup began, but ultimately did not make the World Cup squad.

He admitted: "One of my goals last season was to represent Portugal in the World Cup. I was very disappointed not to participate in the World Cup, but this is something I cannot control, so I won't spend too much time on it. I know it's very difficult to be selected because Portugal has many excellent midfielders, so now I need to show my strength. I believe in myself, I completely believe in myself, and I hope to participate in the next World Cup."

Discussing new season goals

Now, Fernandes is fully focused on Tottenham Hotspur. De Zerbi believes that without European competition and with a relatively lighter schedule, Tottenham Hotspur can jump from finishing 17th in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons to becoming a league title contender.

Fernandes said: "We know that anything can happen in the Premier League, and every game is very difficult. We are working hard to find and implement our playing principles, improving day by day, and playing game by game. Of course, we have also brought in some players who can improve the team's strength. We will take it day by day, step by step, and see what happens in the end."

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