Tottenham Hotspur shook things up in a big way this summer transfer window, as Roberto De Zerbi pushed for a combined 185 million pound investment in new center midfielders Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes to completely reshape the complexion of the team with a totally new base at the midfield.
And sure, it was only a friendly against MK Dons, but Fernandes gave Spurs supporters a wonderful little shot of dopamine with an insane volleyed goal against the opposition, smashing home the ball perfectly with technique and power into the top corner. It was a brief glimpse at the sort of 85 million pound quality that De Zerbi signed Fernandes for and offered an example of how the young Portuguese midfielder is about more than great defense, hard work, and regular midfield stuff, too; he has that something special about him to change games on pure quality alone.
There is a reason why even Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho were interested in Fernandes, and though, again, it was just one striker in an otherwise meaningless game, for Spurs fans, it is a harbinger of things to come.
Mateus Fernandes is making people mad
And it is telling that former Aston Villa striker and talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor got so upset about the goal. He went off on a tirade on his morning show, blasting Tottenham Hotspur fans and downplaying Fernandes's strike.
Agbonlahor said, via Hotspur Lane, "Those goals are scored daily in training! It's all good when there's 20 people watching! Do me a favour! If Spurs fans are excited by that goal then the game has gone!"
Aston Villa fans and now a former player have been giving Tottenham Hotspur supporters a lot of stick this summer and even last year about how the are really a part of the Big Six now and that Spurs are no longer what they once more.
Yet everything they say reeks of jealousy, because whereas they lost star man Youri Tielemans in the midfield to Manchester United, the Belgian international was actually the Red Devils' second choice after they missed out on Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham.
West Ham United, Aston Villa, and other mid level clubs in stature are bashing Spurs at every chance they get, but their tears only prove Spurs right. No Spurs fan is blowing Fernandes's goal out of proportion, but maybe Gabby Agbonlahor and others' rants about Spurs players are out of proportion and hitting home at a level of misplaced anger.
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