Last summer, we saw Fulham signing Andreas Pereira from Manchester United on a €9.5m deal.
The midfielder had spent the previous two seasons on loan, first at Lazio and then at Flamengo, and it even seemed like that was it for his career in the Premier League.
Fulham, however, were interested in adding him to Marco Silva’s side and decided to invest in his arrival. Now this story is told by the manager himself in an interview with ESPN Brasil.
The coach was asked to comment on the Brazilian players he has in the squad, and revealed that he’d been interested in signing Pereira for a long time.
“I can say that Andreas was one of the first players I called. Last year I had a conversation with him and I wanted to understand last year what his goals were, what he wanted when he was in that impasse of going to Flamengo, then he ended up going to Flamengo. We had a chat and we got to talk at the end of the season again. And when we had the success last season, one of the players that I felt we had to go after was obviously him.”
“If you saw the situation, he was not an easy player, he was a player who was at Manchester United, we knew his situation. It was a player that I made a lot of effort to be with us. And I’m glad I did, he’s been an exceptional player.”
Silva had big praising towards Pereira, claiming the midfielder actually became a better player since he moved to Craven Cottage.
“He was unfortunately seriously injured two weeks ago, but he was an exceptional player for us. He was a very important player with and without the ball. He was a very important player in the execution of set pieces as well. And he was a player who was very important at all times. I think right now, he is much more confident as a player.”
“He ends up being a more complete player because he is attacking and defending and appearing in areas that he didn’t like to appear in, in the opposite box, he was always a player who scored a few goals outside the box but was never a player who scored many goals inside the box. And right now, he has that ability to do it. And then all the technical quality it has, which is of the highest level.”
In his year with Fulham, Pereira had five goals and six assists in 38 appearances. Due to a fractured ankle, he’s now only set to be fit in the Whites’ pre-season.
His good season with the Whites made him better valued by Transfermarkt, who now have his price at €20m. He’s committed to the club with a contract until 2026.
