Jose Mourinho doesn’t just play mind games in his own dressing room. The Tottenham boss is also using his powers of manipulation in the transfer market.
No one really knows that Tottenham have planned for the January transfer window. Listening to Jose Mourinho’s public comments certainly won’t give you any clues. His public denials of Spurs’ interest in Bruno Fernandes definitely aren’t something fans should buy into.
Instead, Tottenham fans should consider the possibility that Mourinho is using the media to try to drive down Sporting’s asking price for their talented No. 10. According to The Express, the Portuguese media believes that’s exactly what the Portuguese gaffer is up to. Sporting allegedly want a transfer fee of somewhere around £70 million for their midfield talisman. Predictably, Daniel Levy and the higher-ups at Tottenham would prefer to see that fee reduced significantly.
From a tactical perspective, Fernandes is an excellent fit for what Tottenham need in January. It’s almost a certainty that Spurs will need to replace Christian Eriksen in the heart of their midfield. Fernandes might require a bit of time to get up and running in the Premier League, but he boasts a similar skill set to what Eriksen provides the club. In many ways, he’s tailor-made to replace the Dane for Tottenham.
Then again, it’s also possible that Spurs can’t afford Sporting’s minimum asking price for Fernandes’ services. If that’s the case, Tottenham will need to look to purchase a younger, more unproven attacking midfielder in January. That’s not the sort of purchase that Mourinho has thrived on in the past.
No matter what, Tottenham fans should look for Mourinho to continue to engage in subterfuge with the media. He’ll take great pride in trying to outsmart the competition at Spurs. A significant portion of that work must be done via the transfer market. Putting some false information out to the media could be both fun and useful for Mourinho.
Spurs fans should continue to keep a close eye on Fernandes’ status in the coming weeks. It’s clear that Tottenham are still keeping tabs on him. He could still end up being Mourinho’s big January purchase.
Add us as a preferred source on Google