David Moyes was 'seething' over transfer snub after secret Everton training sessions and medical
It takes something impressive to make an impact in nine games. It takes something remarkable to make a such an impact across those games that it is still remembered years on.
But for nine games in 2006-07, Manuel Fernandes was extraordinary at Everton.
Barely a month goes by without a social media clip of the talented Portuguese doing something sublime in royal blue going viral. His goal against Manchester United and his pirouettes against Arsenal were the standout moments, but they were gloss on a glorious temporary spell.
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Just 21 when he arrived at Everton on loan in 2007, Fernandes already seemingly had it all. A central midfielder who could tackle, carry the ball, pass and shoot, he offered a different dimension to what was already an excellent Toffees team under David Moyes.
So it was no surprise that come the end of the campaign, Everton wanted to make his loan from Benfica a permanent deal. With the new campaign just two games old, Moyes was bullish about the getting the transfer done.
"He had the first part of his medical and that will be completed on Friday," said the Blues boss on August 17, 2007. "I would then expect him to become an Everton player within the next 24 hours."
The transfer didn't happen that quickly, although fears about a potential collapse in negotiations were eased when Fernandes was pictured in the directors' box at Goodison Park for the home game with Blackburn Rovers a week later.
But two days on, he was a Valencia player.
The Spanish giants were willing to pay double the £6million Everton were to ensure they had full ownership of the player. At the time, Fernandes was part-owned by Benfica and Global Sports Agency, which complicated matters for the Blues. Everton were believed to be ready to spend £6million to buy out Benfica's share and in accordance with Premier League rules, would retain the option to purchase Global Sports Agency's ownership at a later date.
However, those complex negotiations proved to be irrelevant. Everton, clearly smarting about the situation, released a strongly-worded statement in response.
"We worked hard all last week on what was a very difficult and complex three-party agreement," it read.
"Everton staff worked through the night on Thursday, finally reaching agreement with the English footballing authorities on Friday afternoon.
"A similar night's work on Friday left us satisfied that we had both addressed and agreed all issues with the other involved parties. However, on Saturday we were informed that another club had come in with a rival bid and despite sustained efforts over the remainder of the weekend the player joined Valencia."
According to a report in the Guardian, Moyes was "seething" about the collapse of the deal. Indeed, Everton were so confident that a transfer would be done, Fernandes had been training with the club a week before he eventually decided to go elsewhere.
"We had to keep it secret, because obviously that wasn't allowed," the midfielder would eventually reveal in a 2022 interview with Obstructed View. "They even closed off the training ground, so that nobody would find out I was there. I was there right up until the end of August, waiting for them to sort out the situation. Then when it didn’t happen, I had no choice but to go back. Then Valencia came in."
The move ultimately failed to work out for either party. Everton lacked the thrust in midfield Fernandes had previously provided, while the Portuguese struggled to make an impact at what was then a fine Valencia side.
So perhaps it was no surprise that in the following January, another loan deal was agreed to take Fernandes to Goodison Park.
However, the second stay didn't have the same magic. Fernandes would actually end up playing more Premier League games for Everton in his second loan spell (12) than he did in his first, although the Blues opted against taking up an option to purchase the player outright at the end of the campaign.
Fernandes would return to Valencia and after a brief resurgence in the 2008-09 season, he failed to ever establish himself as a regular first-team player. He would eventually leave in 2011 to join Besiktas.
"I genuinely think that one of the reasons it didn’t work out for me in Valencia, and I never showed my true potential, is because I never really got over the fact that I didn’t sign for Everton," he would later admit.
"I was young, and I don't think my mental health was in the right place, and much of that was because I wasn’t at the place I felt I wanted to be. Everything at Everton just 'made sense', the club, the players, the fans. I just identified so well with the club.
"I am not going to say I have regrets about going to Spain, because I learnt a lot there too, I don’t have any regrets about my career, but as far as I was concerned, at that time, there was only one place I wanted to be, that was Everton."