Tottenham could beat West Ham to the punch for talented midfielder

The loss of Moussa Sissoko has increased the impetus for Tottenham to sign a replacement midfielder, and recent reports suggest Benfica’s Gedson Fernandes is in the club’s crosshairs. 

West Ham are in advanced negotiations to sign the talented 21-year-old, but Chelsea and Tottenham are lurking in the background, waiting to pounce. Sky Sports yesterday reported that Tottenham have made an offer to Benfica to basically hijack their prospective deal with West Ham.

How sweet would it be to get one over on our arch London nemesis?

Terms of the deal would see Fernandes arriving in Tottenham on loan for 18 months with a possible obligation-to-buy clause. That obligation is based on a threshold of matches Fernandes would have to play for the would-be suitor. If he plays in the agreed amount of matches over the course of the 18 months, the deal would have to be made permanent.

He is by no means a thrifty option, with Chelsea offering in the region of £55 million for the wunderkind. If you haven’t yet seen him play, he is an absolute wizard in tight spaces and protects the ball masterfully. He also has a knack for picking out a seeing-eye pass and looks incredibly talented.

He’s a bit week aerially, a minor blemish in an otherwise pretty impressive CV. West Ham have reportedly agreed terms in principle, so any last-minute dealings would be seen by the East Londoners as an act of war. However, the 21-year-old is still fair game until he signs on the dotted line.

Fernandes is expected to make his decision in the coming days, so stay tuned for confirmation either way. I don’t foresee Spurs’ coup coming to fruition but you never know.