18 July 2007, by Sean Gillen

Portuguese in the Premiership 2006/07 season review

Luis Boa Morte – Fulham/West Ham United

After years of speculation, Luis Boa Morte finally left London club Fulham halfway through the 2006/06 season, but overall the Portuguese international suffered a frustrating year in the Premiership.

Boa Morte played 15 times in the league for Fulham in the first half of the season, but aside from an impressive performance in his team’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, had struggled to find his best form.

It came as no surprise when Fulham accepted West Ham’s bid to bring the player across London during the transfer window, with the 29-year-old joining the club’s battle to avoid relegation.

But things did not go well for Boa Morte in the early stages of his career at Upton Park. After failing to show neither form nor fitness in his first three Premiership starts, he was benched and spent much of the run-in as a substitute.

However, when given a chance to impress in West Ham’s crucial relegation showdown with Wigan Athletic, Boa Morte showed what he was capable of, scoring one and setting up another to help his team to a vital 3-0 win.

The left winger started both of the team’s final two games and West Ham narrowly avoided relegation, thanks to a final-day victory at champions Manchester United. Boa Morte will be hoping to begin the new season in the same vein of form that he finished the 2006/07 campaign.


Manuel Fernandes – Portsmouth/Everton

Manuel Fernandes’ first season outside Portugal saw him represent two Premiership clubs, turning out for both Portsmouth and Everton on loan spells from Benfica.

The initial move to Portsmouth, which was scheduled to be a year-long deal, proved a good introduction to English football for the talented midfielder, and Fernandes impressed manager Harry Redknapp during his dozen appearances ahead of the January transfer window.

However, complications over the nature of the arrangement between the clubs lead to Fernandes’ spell at Fratton Park ending early. Having taken note of his exploits at Portsmouth, Merseyside outfit Everton quickly agreed a six-month loan for the 21-year-old to spend the remainder of the season at Goodison Park.

Fernandes excelled in the Toffees midfield, achieving a far wider range of praise than he did at Portsmouth. During nine league games for Everton, Fernandes scored three goals – including a wonder strike against Manchester United – and brought some much-needed flair to the team’s midfield.

Under intense pressure from the club’s fans, Everton boss David Moyes had hoped to keep Fernandes, but the asking price set by Benfica proved too steep for the Everton board, with the Portuguese midfielder now looking set to return to his homeland for the forthcoming season.


Nuno Valente – Everton

While his team, Everton, enjoyed a decent season in the Premiership, the 2006/07 campaign was one to forget for Portuguese left-back Nuno Valente. The former Porto man struggled with various injuries for large parts of the term, restricting him to just ten league starts all season.

After playing all six of his country’s games at the World Cup in Germany, Valente returned in time to play Everton’s first match of the season against Watford in August. However, an injury put him out for the remainder of the month, and further fitness problems resulted in just one full appearance in September.

Valente appeared to have put those problems behind him in the following months, making two appearances for Portugal and starting eight games in the league for his club between November and January, as Everton spent most of the season moving between 6th and 10th place.

Unfortunately for the Valente, his season came to an end on the first day of 2007. What was initially thought to be a minor calf injury forced him off at half time during Everton’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on 1 January.

Expected to return within a month, the injury proved troublesome and he did not make any further appearances during the run-in. Despite the circumstances, Everton handed Valente a contract extension, with the hope that the experienced defender will play a major role in their European hopes in the upcoming season.


Pedro Mendes – Portsmouth

It is unlikely that Pedro Mendes will ever experience a season quite like the one he endured in 2006/07, during which he was put out of the game for two spells after crude challenges, while also playing his part in a memorable season for the club.

It was only the second match of the new campaign when Mendes was at the centre of one of the season’s major talking points. The Portuguese midfielder was knocked unconscious by opposing defender Ben Thatcher with a vicious forearm smash to the face during Pompey’s trip to Manchester City.

Although he recovered quickly after an overnight stay in hospital, Mendes described the incident as the “worst thing that ever happened to me in my career” and the episode caused outrage within the sport.

Mendes gradually reclaimed his place in the heart of the Pompey midfield over the following weeks, scoring in his side’s 3-1 win over Reading in late October. A red card against Aston Villa in December was a minor setback for Mendes, but the team were having an outstanding year, going into the New Year in the top six places in the Premiership.

However, Mendes’ season took another nasty turn, coincidently in his team’s return match against Man City. Having scored the game’s opening goal with a spectacular strike, a nasty – and seemingly intentional – challenge from Joey Barton damaged his Achilles and put Mendes on the sidelines once again.

This time his absence would last longer, with Mendes spending three months out of action. Pompey missed his presence, slipping down from sixth to their final position of ninth, before Mendes returned to play the final twenty-five minutes of Pompey’s season in their away fixture at Arsenal.


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