Updated: 2 May 2026 11:36 BST |
4 min read
Mateus Fernandes has been told that “clubs will be circling” for his signature in the summer transfer window, with the West Ham United midfielder continuing to be linked with Manchester United and Liverpool.
Fernandes has been one of the Hammers’ standout players this season, with the 21-year-old having recorded three goals and three assists in the Premier League.
The Portugal international, who joined West Ham from Southampton for a reported €46m last summer, has played a key role in helping Nuno Espirito Santo’s side lose just one of their last five league games in their push to avoid suffering relegation to the Championship.
With just four league games remaining, West Ham are currently two points above 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with crunch fixtures against Brentford (away), Arsenal (home), Newcastle United (away) and Leeds United (home) left to come.
And such has been Fernandes’ fine form in the middle of the park that the former Sporting CP star has been tentatively linked with Premier League heavyweights United and Liverpool in recent weeks.
One man who fears West Ham may struggle to keep hold of Fernandes in the summer is Joe Cole, who has labelled the midfielder a “proper player” and someone who his former club would ideally want to build their team around if they were to retain their Premier League status.
In an interview with GOAL, Cole – who emerged through the Irons’ academy and made 187 appearances across two spells at the club – said of Fernandes: “He’s a great player. He’s been a wonderful signing.
“He’s a competitor. He’s in the game all the time, which I like about him. He’s a proper midfielder. He’s complete. He can do everything. He can score a goal, make a goal, puts his foot in, works hard for the team. An absolute dream. Proper player, I really like him.
“Where West Ham are at the moment, you’ve just got to put any of those things aside. It’s all about survival. But certainly, if West Ham get over the line and they survive in the Premier League, he’s going to be one that they’ll build the team around in the future, because there’ll be clubs circling for sure.”
Fernandes will be looking to help West Ham move a step closer to clinching Premier League survival when they travel to Brentford on Saturday – a side who they managed to beat in the fifth round of the FA Cup last month, courtesy of a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium.
Analysis: Fernandes looking to star for club and country in the next few weeks
Fernandes has repaid the faith shown in him by West Ham following his summer move from Southampton, with whom he suffered relegation to the Championship during the 2024-25 Premier League season.
The young midfielder has impressed in a deeper role for the Hammers, pulling the strings and controlling the tempo at a time when Nuno’s side desperately need players to step up in their battle to avoid the drop.
Fernandes will also be hoping to receive a call-up for Roberto Martinez’s Portugal squad for the upcoming World Cup in North America, having made his senior debut in a friendly against the United States in April.
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