Tottenham made Mateus Fernandes one of their marquee signings of the summer transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur were one of the busiest clubs in Europe during the summer transfer window, making ten signings while also parting company with 15 players, either on loan or permanently. They spent a total of £394million, making this their highest ever spend in a single transfer window in the club’s history.
Spurs’ defence has undergone major surgery this summer, with Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Tosin Adarabioyo arriving. The North Londoners also smashed their transfer record fee twice, first with the £85million signing of Mateus Fernandes, before Sandro Tonali completed an eye-watering £100million move from Newcastle United.
It is well-documented that Manchester United were also interested in signing Mateus Fernandes from West Ham. The Portuguese midfielder had become a key target for Tottenham and Manchester United, despite going down with West Ham last season. Eventually, Spurs managed to beat Man United to the player’s signature in July.
However, it has now emerged that another Premier League club was gunning for Fernandes’ services.
Liverpool were keen on Mateus Fernandes before Tottenham swooped in
According to James Pearce of The Athletic, Liverpool were interested in signing Fernandes during the recently concluded summer transfer window. They considered the 22-year-old before he made the move to Tottenham. The Reds’ new boss Andoni Iraola felt he could improve how the midfield performed through the team structure rather than changing players.
Fernandes was one of the rare bright spots in a dismal 2025/26 campaign for the Hammers. The versatile midfielder supplied four goals and three assists in 36 league outings in his second season in English football but couldn’t save the Irons from going down.
The one-cap Portugal international was quickly identified as a priority midfield target by Roberto De Zerbi. The 47-year-old tactician felt that the former Southampton man would bring energy, intensity, mobility, leadership and technical quality to Tottenham’s midfield unit that was overwhelmed by several sides last season. Credit to the Tottenham hierarchy for acting decisively and fulfilling the Italian’s demands.
Whilst Spurs have lost their opening two Premier League games against Brentford and Newcastle United, Fernandes did well. Operating in an advanced role, the midfielder demonstrated his composure on the ball, passing range, reading of the game and tenacity. It is early days to say anything, but the player has the qualities in his game and age on his side to make the £85million fee look like a bargain in the coming years.
Whether Liverpool live to regret not going all out for Fernandes remains to be seen. There’s no doubt he’s a sublime talent with vast potential.