I'm specifically referring to the common theory cited by some that English Fisherman discovered Newfoundland before John Cabot. evidence for this supposedly comes in the form of a letter by John Day, to the "Grand Admiral" of Spain:

It is considered certain that the cape of the said land (Land found by John Cabot) was found and discovered in the past by the men from Bristol who found 'Brasil' as your Lordship well knows. It was called the Island of Brasil, and it is assumed and believed to be the mainland that the men from Bristol found.

This seems to imply that John Cabot's land was discovered previously by men from Bristol looking for the fictional island of Brasil. Similarly, he was not only receiving money from Italian bankers, but supposedly mentioning this land in his original loans according Margret Condon, an archivist.

John Cabot, of Venice, on 27 April [1496], is debited for £10 sterling, paid in cash to Lorenzo Morandi towards the 50 nobles sterling [£16 13s 4d] our Aldobrandino Tanagli ordered us to pay him so that he could go and find the new land

However, there isn't much information out there on this and it seems a bit speculative, Is there a general consensus among historians about the voracity of these claims? If not, is there any further reading or sources regarding 15th century English Exploration? Thank you.

https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/exploration/john-day.php

https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/exploration/new-findings-cabot.php