Fulham striker Carlos Vinicius admits he ‘didn’t believe’ the news when it emerged that Tottenham Hotspur were looking to bring him to the Premier League in the summer of 2020.
With every season that goes by, that remarkable spell of form at Benfica is starting to look more like the exception and less the rule.
Vinicius scored 24 goals for the Portuguese giants in 2019/20. A tally which earned him the Primeira Liga’s Golden Boot. In the three years since, however, Vinicius has scored a further 17 goals during underwhelming stints at Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven and Fulham.
Spurs turned down the opportunity to trigger Vinicius’ £40 million option-to-buy clause. And it’s difficult to argue now, even with Tottenham as reliant on Harry Kane as ever, that the London giants made the wrong call.
Carlos Vinicius now at Fulham after a season with Tottenham Hotspur
“When they told me about (Tottenham’s interest), they told me that Jose Mourinho would call me,” Vinicius tells Relevo. “And I didn’t believe it!
“So, he called me on ‘FaceTime’ and asked me; ‘So, how are you?’ Don’t wear Havaianas (flip-flops). This isn’t Brazil! It’s very cold here.’
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“I started to laugh. Then, sent me a message saying everything was ready to go to Tottenham. His call surprised me. Everyone knows Mourinho is tough. But when you get to know the other side, there is a Mourinho with a lot of heart. I am friends with him to this day.
“He is someone I have a lot of affection for. He helped me a lot at Tottenham.”
Vinicius’ admiration for the now-Roma boss may come as a slight surprise. He started only three Premier League games in Spurs colours, after all. Nine of Vinicius’ 10 Tottenham goals, meanwhile, came against Ludogorets, Royal Antwerp, Wolfsberger and non-league Marine FC.
With Aleksandr Mitrovic suspended following that FA Cup meltdown at Manchester United, however, Vinicius could be handed a run of games over the coming weeks as he looks to belatedly make his mark in England’s top-flight at Fulham.
The Cottagers, Record say, could end up paying Benfica around £9 million for Vinicius.
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