Whether he knew it at the time is anybody’s guess, but Graham Potter was given an early sneak peek at West Ham United’s new midfield priority when facing Mateus Fernandes and Southampton back in April.
And while his partner at the heart of the Saints engine room has already secured a move – Burnley signed Lesley Ugochukwu in a £23 million deal earlier this month – it surely won’t be long before Mateus Fernandes is back in the big-time himself.
Because, to quote former Southampton captain Jo Tessem, Mateus Fernandes is an ‘ultimate Premier League midfielder’ in the making.
As Jacob Ramsey closes in on Newcastle, West Ham United are going all in on the Portugal Under-21 international as deadline day looms ominously on the horizon.
Southampton rejected the Hammers’ opening £30 million bid on Tuesday, holding out for closer to £50 million. Talks are ongoing between the two clubs though, and confidence is high at the London Stadium.
Especially because, according to an update provided by Claret and Hugh after Fernandes brilliantly fired Southampton past Crawley Town in the Carabao Cup, the former Sporting Lisbon starlet has told his St Mary’s bosses that his desire is to pursue a fresh challenge elsewhere.
But, back to that London Stadium stalemate four months ago.
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty ImagesMateus Fernandes ran the show as Southampton drew with West Ham United
Another underwhelming, one-paced performance from a West Ham side limping towards a 14th place finish. Three points wastefully tossed away by a stoppage time equaliser from the aforementioned Ugochukwu.
If there was one man who injected some zip into a rather flat encounter between the underachieving Hammers and the doomed Saints though, it was Mateus Fernandes.
Only Lucas Paqueta and Niclas Fullkrug produced more than his three key passes on that springtime afternoon. With two successful tackles as well, Fernandes also won the ball back more often than West Ham’s midfield pairing of Carlos Soler and James Ward-Prowse between them.
Classy and purposeful on the ball yet a tenacious presence without it too, there is a reason former Saints boss Russell Martin spoke glowingly about Fernandes’ ‘intensity, desire, and fight to win’ as well as his ‘talent, guile, and creativity’.
Southampton’s number 18 was likened to Manchester City’s £53 million powerhouse Matheus Nunes by his former coach at Estoril. And there were shades of the one-time Wolves dynamo in the way Fernandes created the visitors’ first opening in the capital.
Picking up the ball wide on the right, Fernandes drove infield, zipped past Soler and laid the ball off for Kamaldeen Sulemana to line up a shot which deflected wide of Alphonse Areola’s goal.
Fernandes then came within a whisker of a delightful assist. Receiving possession more centrally this time, the 21-year-old drew Emerson Palmieri out of possession and threaded an inch-perfect pass into an onrushing Kyle Walker-Peters. The future West Ham right-back would see his effort dribble agonisingly wide of the far post.
In what could be an exciting sign of things to come, Fernandes and Walker-Peters then combined impressively again shortly after Jarrod Bowen had given the home side the lead with a sublime trademark effort.
A quickfire one-two, and then another one, before Fernandes’ flighted cross was snatched out of Paul Onuachu’s clutches by some desperate back-post defending.
Saints hero Jo Tessem says Fernandes is ‘an ultimate Premier League midfielder’
As Southampton pursued a last-gasp leveller, it was inevitably Fernandes who dropped deep and took matters into his own hands.
Lighting the fuse for the move which eventually saw Ugochukwu lash home and earn the Saints one of only 12 points they managed across the entire campaign.
“Mateus Fernandes is on people’s radar because every week he plays his heart out. He is by far the best player on the football pitch from a Saints perspective,” Tessem told BBC Radio Solent Southampton; the £15 million acquisition arguably the only player apart from Tyler Dibling who emerged from a wreck of a season with his reputation enhanced.
“I said the same about Romeo Lavia [who joined Chelsea for £58 million]. I didn’t think he would stay for a season in the Championship and he didn’t.
“[Fernandes] is on a similar level, albeit a different type of player. He is becoming an ultimate Premier League midfielder and clubs are not going to let that go.
“He plays like a Premier League player. He passes like a Premier League player. He is quick like a Premier League player. He conducts himself so well in midfield.”
The West Ham faithful need only cast their mind back to April – even if this was a game they would rather forget – for an intriguing snapshot into what Mateus Fernandes could bring with him on his return to the London Stadium.
This time, if Graham Potter gets his way, while wearing a claret and blue jersey.