West Ham United’s notable exits this summer look as if they will be continuing on way past Mohammed Kudus’ crushing departure to Tottenham Hotspur.
The next reality check in the transfer department could come very soon, as Lucas Paqueta appears to be edging for a move away from the London Stadium, amid interest in the midfielder’s services from Manchester City and the aforementioned North Londoners.
It remains to be seen whether the Hammers would let Paqueta go during the same demoralising summer that saw Kudus defect to Spurs, as a new Paqueta-style figure appears on Graham Potter’s shopping list anyway.
West Ham ask about signing £30m midfielder
Potter’s men look as if they will be busy between now and September’s approaching deadline, with a whole host of names being tipped to join the East London ranks.
New reports have suggested that Cagliari attacker Roberto Piccoli might join the building to help boost the ex-Chelsea manager’s options up top, alongside the Hammers also eyeing up promising Sheffield United goalkeeper Michael Cooper to add depth in between the sticks in the wake of Lukas Fabianski’s retirement.
West Ham are further assessing their options in the EFL away from just the Blades when it comes to Southampton starlet Mateus Fernandes, with journalist Jack Rosser via X speculating that the Hammers have approached the Saints about a potential move for the rising Portuguese star.
It is stated that they haven’t been left with much encouragement from these conversations, however, with Atletico Madrid also keen on the 21-year-old, who is touted to be worth around the £30m ballpark.
Standing out as a shining light last season, even as his South Coast outfit plummeted to relegation, Fernandes could kick on and become an even brighter talent at the London Stadium if a deal can be secured, potentially filling the hole left behind by Paqueta in the process.
Why Fernandes could be the next Paqueta
£30m does feel like a steep amount to splurge on a midfielder that has just tasted the unwelcome flavour of relegation, but the 21-year-old did manage to come out of Southampton’s basement finish with his head held high, at least.
Indeed, come the end of the depressing campaign for his team, Fernandes would still manage to tally up two goals and four assists for his lowly team in Premier League action.
All this frenzied interest has come his way off the back of completing such an impressive individual campaign, despite the many setbacks facing him at St. Mary’s.
Amazingly, Fernandes’ standout 2024/25 output is more goals and assists than Paqueta would manage back at the Irons across the same span, with the spotlight on the Brazilian more focused on controversies off the pitch, away from him only collecting a disappointing four goal contributions.
However, whilst the 21-year-old would shine in this regard, he is also similar to his South American counterpart when considering his overall, varied game, which would make him a perfect replacement for Paqueta in the long run. Indeed, as hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson, he is the “complete” talent.
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Fernandes’ league numbers (24/25) vs Paqueta’s (24/25) |
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|---|---|---|
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Stat – per 90 mins* |
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|
Games played |
36 |
33 |
|
Goals scored |
2 |
4 |
|
Assists |
4 |
0 |
|
Touches* |
53.3 |
58.6 |
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Accurate passes* |
29.0 (85%) |
33.6 (79%) |
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Big chances created |
6 |
4 |
|
Tackles* |
2.5 |
2.0 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
5.0 |
4.5 |
|
Total duels won* |
5.8 |
6.0 |
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Stats by Sofascore |
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Looking at the table above, it becomes far clearer as to why Mattinson described Fernandes as a ‘complete’ talent from the middle of the park.
The former Sporting youngster matches Paqueta and even betters him when it comes to the more defensive aspect of their games, when glancing at their numbers in the Premier League last season, as seen in him averaging more tackles and ball recoveries last campaign per match.
Even FBref states that the midfielders are statistically similar, with Paqueta also a versatile performer, much like the 21-year-old, when previously lining up down the left flank for the Irons.
Fernandes is some way off establishing himself as a Premier League regular like the “mind-boggling” Paqueta – as former teammate Declan Rice once described his ability – but his time could soon come to become an established talent at the level, particularly if the Hammers cough up what Southampton want this summer.
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