Tottenham have a big decision to make with Gedson Fernandes

The race to be Tottenham’s starting right back is wide open. Gedson Fernandes announced his presence with his standout play against Ipswich.

Tottenham aren’t going to make any permanent decisions about their starting XI based on one preseason friendly performance against Ipswich Town. With that being said, Jose Mourinho and the higher-ups at Spurs aren’t going to ignore what Gedson Fernandes did on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Portuguese came to Tottenham on an 18-month loan from Benfica to help solve the club’s midfield injury crisis last season. Curiously, the need for Gedson to play was mooted by the suspension of the 2019-20 season due to COVID-19. In the end, he only managed to log 63 minutes of action in seven substitute appearances in the Premier League last year.

The odds are stacked against him carving out regular playing time in Tottenham’s midfield this season. He lacks the physical strength to play in a central role. He doesn’t possess the skill in the final third required to play over the likes of Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son. That appeared to leave Gedson as a player without a role heading into this preseason.

Joe Mourinho found Gedson Fernandes some playing time, and boy did he shine

Credit Mourinho and his coaching staff for finding a potential pathway towards playing time for Gedson. He got the start at right back in the club’s first preseason friendly of the season and showed a lot of promise. It wasn’t a perfect outing by any stretch of the imagination, but there were real signs of positivity from the young player.

In particular, his willingness to run forward with the ball at his feet and attack the opposition’s final third was encouraging. He wasn’t always precise with his crosses into the box, but a few of them could have easily led to Tottenham goals on the afternoon.

Defensively he wasn’t put under immense pressure by the Ipswich front line, but he’s got the speed and athleticism required to compete on that end of the pitch. Mourinho will be keen to see what he can do against more talented opponents as the Premier League season approaches.

The right back position is largely vacant at Spurs because of the club’s transfer activity this summer. Kyle Walker-Peters was sold permanently to Southampton after a productive loan spell on the South Coast last season. Serge Aurier seems poised to leave with Inter Milan being the most interested party at the moment.

That leaves Gedson fighting against natural centre backs like Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga to be the most trusted right back on the current roster. Tottenham are expected to buy a replacement for Walker-Peters/Aurier later this summer, but no move has materialized as of yet.

At the very least, Gedson has given Tottenham officials something new to consider at the club’s weakest position. Heading into the season with him as the nailed-on starter would be a huge gamble. Instead, look for his emergence to lessen the need for Spurs to purchase multiple right backs in the coming weeks.