Fernandes is the Portugal under-21 international on loan from Sporting CP who has made 35 appearances in all competitions for Estoril Praia.
The 20 year old is quickly becoming well-known in his home country, Portugal, after a breakout season starting regularly in the Primeira Liga.
The Saints have landed a bit of a surprise package with Fernandes as their third signing in less than a week, with not many having heard of the young midfielder, and have agreed a deal that could see them pay nearly £16million for the youngster, who bolsters manager Russell Martin’s options in the middle.
Fernandes initially rose to prominence as Sporting reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League in 2022/23, beating the likes of Ajax. Sporting topped a group with Tottenham Hotspur, Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt, with Fernandes prominently scoring goals against the former two.
Having only just turned 20 last month, Fernandes is being viewed domestically and internationally as an extremely high-potential player. He often represents Portugal’s youth teams as an attacking midfielder but featured as a left eight in his last campaign at home.
Fernandes has taken free-kicks, corners and penalties across his first-team appearances for Sporting and Estoril, earning himself a respectable level of respect.
A five-foot-10 all-rounder, he ranks in the top 10 per cent of positional peers across Europe’s non-top-five premier divisions in skills ranging from progressive ball carries going forward plus tackles and blocks the other way, while he is just outside the top 10 for shot-creating actions.