Fernandes was another player brought to the club by Sven-Goran Eriksson, thanks to his ties from Manchester City. Eriksson signed the Swiss international during his stint at Eastlands, for a fee or around £4.2 million from Sion.

But after Eriksson left, Fernandes was used mainly as a substitute under Mark Hughes, and in July 2009 he moved on trial to French club St Etienne, where he went on to complete a £2 million move on a two-year contract.

He made 33 league appearances for the French side, but was loaned out to Chievo Verona and then the Foxes in August 2011, on a season-long loan deal. He made his debut in the 1-0 win over Coventry City on the opening day of that season and was a popular choice in the middle of the park for Foxes fans. He went on to score his first goal in the 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.

But despite him being a first team regular for City, Eriksson's departure from the club saw him grow unhappy. He was quoted as saying: "I want to leave Leicester. I no longer my place since Sven-Goran Eriksson left. I just want to have fun."