'It's probably surprising to most people...' Tottenham’s Mateus Fernandes ‘concerns’ revealed
Tottenham are not concerned about Mateus Fernandes' struggles for game time since he joined from West Ham in the summer, sources have told Football Insider.
Spurs broke their club record to sign 22-year-old Fernandes for £85million in July, but are yet to receive much return on their investment.
The Portuguese midfielder has only started three of their first seven Premier League games and looks to be struggling to adapt to Roberto De Zerbi's training methods.
His struggles to leave an impression in North London have led to fans raising concerns that the transfer could potentially end up as a flop.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, those inside Tottenham are confident that Fernandes will eventually become a regular starter.
Fernandes impressed at both Southampton and West Ham in the top flight and will be aiming to break into Roberto De Zerbi's starting eleven again in the coming weeks.
Mateus Fernandes' poor Spurs start is not a worry for club insiders
Spurs' recent upturn in form and their first league win of the campaign have come with Fernandes out of the starting lineup.
He still remains a key part of De Zerbi's plans and the club believe it is only a matter of time until he makes his mark in North London.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "There'll be no concerns just yet. It's probably a bit surprising to most people that he's not been given more game time, considering Spurs worked really hard to win the race for his signature, beating a number of clubs to sign Fernandes in the summer.
"They spent a lot of money on their midfield in the summer, Tonali looks like he will be a regular starter and then you've got others, such as James Maddison, working their way back now as well.
"Maybe it's just an adaptation time for Fernandes, with him getting used to his new club, his new teammates and everything else. I don't think there's any internal concerns about the move or anything like that."
What has De Zerbi said about Fernandes' struggles?
De Zerbi has handed starts to five different midfielders in Spurs' last two matches, but not to Fernandes, who has appeared for a combined 20 minutes from the bench since the international break.
The Tottenham manager has fronted up to concerns from fans about Fernandes' impact, addressing his lack of regular minutes earlier this month.
He said: "Mateus is a great player, one of the best in our team, and he needs time to understand the club. I have confidence in him. He doesn't start games badly or worse than others, but he has to be stronger. He needs time and that's what we'll give him."