Premier League
MOURINHO MAKES FIRST SPURS SIGNING
Jose Mourinho has made his first signing at Tottenham as Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes has joined on an 18-month loan deal.
Spurs moved to sign the 21-year-old ahead of West Ham after he fell out of favour at Benfica. West Ham had been hopeful of landing Fernandes until late last week but super-agent Jorge Mendes then offered him to Spurs.
Sportsmail reported on Tuesday that Tottenham had agreed a long-term loan deal that includes an option to buy the Portugal international for £56million.
On making the move to north London, Fernandes said: ‘I’m very happy to be here today – I make my dream a reality.
‘For me, it’s one big dream to come to this big club. I will try to give my best for the club every day, in every training session and in every game and I will try to help the team wherever I can, working hard every day for this shirt.
‘The Premier League is a different competition – every player in the world wants to play in the Premier League.
For me, it’s one more motivation because I always dreamed of playing in this league and now let’s make my dream come true. I think we’re going to do fantastic things because this is a fantastic club.’
Mourinho had been looking to bolster his Spurs side this month due to mounting injury problems in the first-team squad.
Tottenham lost midfielder Moussa Sissoko to a serious knee injury earlier this month while Tanguy Ndombele’s fitness is inconsistent.
Midfielders Eric Dier and Harry Winks have also suffered occasional setbacks.
As well as injuries in the midfield areas, Christian Eriksen’s future at the club remains uncertain.
Mourinho is also without star striker Harry Kane until April after having surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring.
Fernandes, who will wear the No 30 shirt for the remainder of the season, had fallen out of favour with Benfica head coach Bruno Lage this season.
When asked who he looked up to in football, the Portugal international said: ‘Cristiano [Ronaldo]. Because he’s a Portuguese player and he breaks all the records.
‘He tries to win day by day so I will have to try and do the same thing.
‘I know the squad because I’ve watched some games, I have some references like Moussa Sissoko, I know a little bit about Eric Dier because he played in Portugal and I know the coach (Jose Mourinho) because he’s a big coach and young players want to play with him because he’s one of the best.
‘I know about the staff (Assistant Head Coach Joao Sacramento and Goalkeeper Coach Nuno Santos) a little bit as well because one of my friends last year played at (their former club) Lille, so he spoke with me a little bit about the staff.
Fernandes’ debut could come as early as this weekend – he is likely to be in the squad when Tottenham travel to play Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.
After coming through Benfica’s youth system, Fernandes made his debut at the age of 18 in 2017.
He played 53 appearances in total for Benfica and was part of the squad which won the Primeira Liga – Portugal’s premier division- last season.
Fernandes has also been capped twice for Portugal, making his debut in September 2018.
He will be reunited with his family in London as they already live in the capital.
‘It’s a hard story. My family, they came to London because in Portugal, work is very hard and it’s very difficult to find work,’ he said.
‘They did not have a brilliant life but they have a good life here and this is one more motivation for me to be here today. Yes, they will help me to settle here.’
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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