Mateus Fernandes on how he got player to join Sporting (video) | OneFootball

Sporting strengthened their squad in the last winter transfer window with the signings of Luís Guilherme and Souleymane Faye, both brought in to join Rui Borges’ group. In the negotiation process for the Brazilian winger, the Lions had a key ally: Mateus Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder, then a teammate at West Ham, played an active role in advising and helping the player adapt to Portugal.

"At the time, he told me about Sporting’s interest. Obviously, he was super excited. I immediately tried to help him with housing, what daily life in Portugal was like, even about the pressure from the fans and what the league was like," Mateus Fernandes revealed in statements to DAZN Portugal.

"As I told him, I think the Portuguese league is the best championship in Europe for a young player who needs confidence or needs minutes. Playing at Sporting, or at a big club, you’ll always have the ball, you’ll get plenty of chances to finish and lots of attacking moments. It’s something you can really benefit from. He had never scored a goal before. It will really help his confidence," he added, highlighting the advantages of moving from England to Portugal.

"Then there’s the language. It’s a language he knows, the culture is practically the same. The locker room is fantastic. The club, at this moment, has everything players need. So I told him that if he had that opportunity on the table, he shouldn’t even think twice. He didn’t hesitate and now he’s there," Mateus Fernandes concluded with a smile.

With a contract valid until 2030 and a release clause set at 80 million euros, Luís Guilherme is internally seen as the successor to Geovany Quenda. The young Portuguese player has already been acquired by Chelsea for 50 million euros, but remains on loan at Sporting until the end of the season. He is currently injured, with a return expected only in March.

Read the full statements below:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.