The first signing of the Mourinho era in Tottenham is a fellow Portuguese one. Tottenham Hotspurs have announced they reached an agreement for a loan deal of one and a half year (18 months) on Gedson Fernandes, with Benfica.

Gedson is 21 years old and, although he holds Portuguese citizenship, he was born in the archipelago of Sao Tome e Principe. The midfielder made his professional debut in Benfica last season, after rising through the Portuguese team’s academy.

In one season and a half at the service of Benfica, Gedson made 53 appearances throughout all competitions and scored 3 times.

According to the Portuguese media, the loan deal with Benfica until June of 2021 costs Spurs €4.5M. Spurs have a buyout clause of €50M on the Portuguese international, who was called once to the senior Portugal National Team but has not played yet.

The deal was confirmed this morning, being postponed due to Tottenham’s clash against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. Spurs won that game 2×1, sealing their ticket to the next stage of the tournament.

Who is Gedson Fernandes?

A box to box midfielder, Gedson was much used throughout last season as he flashed alongside Joao Felix and took the Eagles to the first place of Liga NOS table. This season though, he lost space in Benfica and furthermore with the arrival of Julian Weigl, from Dortmund.

This season he made only 5 appearances in the league and only twice he played the full 90 minutes. However, he was twice part of the starting XI during Benfica’s Champions League campaign.

Although he only played 216 minutes this season, it is noteworthy to mention Gedson averages 1.3 tackles per game. This is a remarkable stat for a midfielder that normally plays in more attacking positions. However, his stat of 0.1 key passes per game, does raise an eyebrow.

With the Spurs on the verge of losing Christian Eriksen, who is allegedly joining Inter Milan soon, was Gedson a worthy investment?