As the January transfer window draws to a close this Friday, football fans around the world eagerly anticipate the beloved ‘Deadline Day’, where we try to distinguish between panic signings and the ‘real deal’. Two of the big names already confirmed to be on their way to the Premier League are Steven Bergwijn and Bruno Fernandes, so lets take a look at them and see what they’ll bring to England.
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes is a Portuguese, right-footed, 25-year-old Attacking Midfielder who can also play as a Second Striker or as a Central Midfielder. Fernandes signed for Sporting Lisbon from Sampdoria for £8.72 million back in 2017. His key strengths are his long range passing, set pieces and shooting both outside and inside the box.
Fernandes has some incredible statistics to back up his ability, notching 13 goals and 10 assists in 22 appearances across the Liga Nos & Europa League already this season. Obviously these stats have to be taken with a pinch of salt, as the Premier League is a much stiffer task than the level Bruno has been playing at. However, Fernandes has also been performing for Portugal at International level, scoring 1 and assisting 2 in the 6 games he played during their Euro 2020 Qualifying campaign.
It’s always difficult to tell whether a player will hit the ground running in the Premier League, as we’ve seen many cases over the years of players who have performed consistently abroad but not cut it when making the switch to the EPL, e.g. Di Maria, Higuaín, Shevchenko etc. However, I believe Bruno Fernandes has all the attributes of an attacking midfielder that will really suit the Premier League, and will be a fantastic signing for Manchester United. Nevertheless, he is only one of several players they need to sign to bring success (or even just Champions League football) back to Old Trafford.
Steven Bergwijn
Steven Bergwijn is a Dutch, right-footed, 22-year-old Left Winger who can also play as a Centre-Forward or Right Winger. He developed through the PSV academy from the age of 16, scoring 14 times in 31 appearances for the U21’s. Bergwijn’s key strengths are his pace, dribbling and key passing.
So how has Bergwijn been performing for PSV? Well, this season he’s bagged 5 goals and 10 assists in 16 league appearances in the Eredivisie, however he’s failed to score or assist in his 5 Europa League appearances this season. He’s also struggled to make an impact for the Netherlands, failing to score and assisting just 1 in his 8 competitive appearances to-date.
These stats do make Bergwijn a much more unknown quantity than Bruno Fernandes, as he has (so far) struggled to make as much of an impact at a higher level of competition than the Eredivisie. Steven does have a youth on his side, of course, as he is just 22 years of age, so has a lot more time to improve yet and playing under Jose Mourinho could be fantastic for his development. It is also important to note the difference in transfer fees between the two as well, Bruno Fernandes is rumoured to be in the region of £65 million, with Bergwijn signing for reportedly just £27 million, making the risk involved in Bergwijn’s transfer far less than Fernandes’.
As a football fan, I can’t wait to see how both get on in the Premier League. Bruno Fernandes seems to be exactly what United need in their push for a Champions League spot, while Bergwijn will add a real spark to a Spurs side in need of firepower following news of Kane’s lengthy injury.
Back Soon,
JP
The Football Times 