Mateus Fernandes could rewrite strange Tottenham history after record-breaking transfer
Mateus Fernandes has joined Tottenham Hotspur in a record-breaking £85million deal.
Just a year on from the arrival of Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, Spurs smashed their transfer record again to bring in the Portuguese midfielder from West Ham.
After a string of successful personal seasons in the Premier League, Fernandes attracted interest from all over Europe before Spurs bit the bullet.
The midfielder is part of a larger rebuild at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after Roberto De Zerbi just about kept them in the Premier League.
Aiming to rejoin the big six in the table, 21-year-old Fernandes joins as someone to take Spurs to the next level.
But to do so, he will have to avoid following a certain trend in North London.
Tottenham's Portuguese history examined
Tottenham have had nine Portuguese players on their books in the past - none of whom achieved any real success.
From Jose Dominguez, Helder Postiga and Pedro Mendes in the 2000s, to Joao Palhinha last term, Spurs have a strange history with Portugal.
Dominguez would make the most appearances of any from the Iberian nation, with 57 before his move to Kaiserslautern in 2000.
Palhinha sits second with 45, after he came up with multiple big moments in the relegation scrap, despite an extremely poor individual campaign.
The biggest flop of all though is Gedson Fernandes, who arrived on loan with an option to buy worth £43million in 2020
Failing to make an impact at all, the central midfielder would make 14 appearances in a year, before his loan was cut short after failing to contribute to a goal.
In total, Portuguese players have made 194 appearances for Spurs - meaning that Fernandes would only need around four or five full seasons to beat this on his own.
Looking ahead to the coming season, Spurs fans will be begging for Fernandes to start his own story with the Lilywhites, avoiding the same path as his compatriots.
Mateus Fernandes is a totally unique prospect for Tottenham
When Fernandes is considered, he is a completely different prospect to not just his compatriots, but to any signing Tottenham have ever made.
One of the best young players in the world, he arrives as someone who could not just hit sky high levels, but grow with Spurs as they rebuild and reset.
The North London club have recruited young talent before, but not at this level, and not for this amount of money.
Tottenham have shown serious ambition so far this summer, and these types of signings are completely new territory in comparison to what those associated with the club are used to.