Mourinho insists he would not swap Lo Celso for Bruno Fernandes
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho insists he would not swap Giovani Lo Celso for Bruno Fernandes after Spurs missed out on signing the Portuguese playmaker last summer.
The north London club were heavy favourites to sign Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon during last summer's transfer window, with the player claiming that he agreed a deal to join Spurs.
However, Sporting and Spurs failed to agree on the player's value, which saw Fernandes join Manchester United for £68million in January while Tottenham landed Lo Celso on a season-long loan last summer under Mauricio Pochettino – who was in charge of the club at the time.
Lo Celso has since made his loan move from Real Betis permanent, with Mourinho giving the thumbs up to complete the £27m deal.
While both players have flourished in the Premier League, it is Fernandes that has stolen the limelight having been directly involved in eight goals in as many appearances while his energetic performances has given United a new lease of life.
Asked whether he regrets Tottenham missing out on Fernandes last summer, Mourinho told Sky Sports: 'I don't know anything about that, but if that is true, and if Giovani Lo Celso was the player that came to Spurs [instead of Bruno Fernandes], then I would say I wouldn't change Giovani Lo Celso for any player.
'[I wouldn't swap Lo Celso] for any player. It's not just for Bruno, but for any player.'
Lo Celso initially struggled to find his feet earlier in the season under Pochettino, but has since gone on to become a key part of Mourinho's plans.
The Portuguese boss has praised Lo Celso's positive attitude and feels there is a lot more to come from his Argentine maestro, who is currently playing through injury.
Mourinho added: 'I came to the club and he wasn't playing. I think the only match he started was Red Star Belgrade away in the Champions League - apart from that he was not playing. When I arrived I went in other directions and he did exactly what I love a player to do: "I'm going to show you".
'[There was] no spoiled kid reactions, no crying, no moaning, no agents and family throwing messages to the press and to the social media. It was just between him and me: "I'm going to show you", and he showed me step-by-step.
'He's working with lots of different conditions to try to play and to try to resist until the end of the season so what you see from Gio now is not the end product - he's a fantastic player for us.'
The north London club were heavy favourites to sign Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon during last summer's transfer window, with the player claiming that he agreed a deal to join Spurs.
However, Sporting and Spurs failed to agree on the player's value, which saw Fernandes join Manchester United for £68million in January while Tottenham landed Lo Celso on a season-long loan last summer under Mauricio Pochettino – who was in charge of the club at the time.
Lo Celso has since made his loan move from Real Betis permanent, with Mourinho giving the thumbs up to complete the £27m deal.
While both players have flourished in the Premier League, it is Fernandes that has stolen the limelight having been directly involved in eight goals in as many appearances while his energetic performances has given United a new lease of life.
Asked whether he regrets Tottenham missing out on Fernandes last summer, Mourinho told Sky Sports: 'I don't know anything about that, but if that is true, and if Giovani Lo Celso was the player that came to Spurs [instead of Bruno Fernandes], then I would say I wouldn't change Giovani Lo Celso for any player.
'[I wouldn't swap Lo Celso] for any player. It's not just for Bruno, but for any player.'
Lo Celso initially struggled to find his feet earlier in the season under Pochettino, but has since gone on to become a key part of Mourinho's plans.
The Portuguese boss has praised Lo Celso's positive attitude and feels there is a lot more to come from his Argentine maestro, who is currently playing through injury.
Mourinho added: 'I came to the club and he wasn't playing. I think the only match he started was Red Star Belgrade away in the Champions League - apart from that he was not playing. When I arrived I went in other directions and he did exactly what I love a player to do: "I'm going to show you".
'[There was] no spoiled kid reactions, no crying, no moaning, no agents and family throwing messages to the press and to the social media. It was just between him and me: "I'm going to show you", and he showed me step-by-step.
'He's working with lots of different conditions to try to play and to try to resist until the end of the season so what you see from Gio now is not the end product - he's a fantastic player for us.'
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