Tottenham Hotspur beat off stiff competition from Manchester United to sign Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes this summer, the north London side parting with £85m to sign the 22-year-old from rivals West Ham United.
And yet, the youngster has started just three of five league games for Spurs so far this season. He was hauled off after just 45 minutes in one of those.
“I have big confidence in Mateus but I didn’t like his performance today,” Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said of Fernandes after the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa. “It’s not an attack on him because I love him. I just want more from him, even in that position.”
Spurs are wasting £85m Mateus Fernandes as things stand
It was an unnecessary criticism of Fernandes, who admittedly hardly covered himself in glory in the recent home loss to Villa, albeit out of position. Then again, few in a Spurs shirt really did.
Even so, De Zerbi was critical of the young midfielder having, again, started him in the number 10 role. If anything, this reflects badly on the Italian manager.
In truth, De Zerbi’s hands are somewhat tied. He’s loyal to a 4-2-3-1 setup, but is without a fully fit and firing No. 10. James Maddison has only recently returned to first-team action following a year on the sidelines with an ACL injury. Xavi Simons is currently absent with the same issue. Dejan Kulusevski is close to a return to action having not played since May 2025. Even then, he’s made a league start more recently than Maddison.
And yet, rather than tinker with his system or delve into the academy to pick a diamond in the rough – cough Luca Williams-Barnett cough – he’s persisting with a No. 8 out of position. Conor Gallagher is the other player to have started in the 10. Neither suit the role.
Indeed, Fernandes made a name for himself with both Southampton and West Ham in a deeper midfield position. Here, he was able to drive the team forward. Spurs desperately lacked a central midfielder who could advance the play from deep. Fernandes, then, was seen as the perfect signing.
Only Jarrod Bowen (45) created more chances than Fernandes (37) of all West Ham players in the Premier League last season. 28 successful dribbles was the third most for the Hammers. The two ahead of Fernandes – Bowen and Crysencio Summerville – are wingers by trade. They will rank higher for this metric. 103 tackles ranked sixth overall in the Premier League.
Fernandes is a player who thrives in the hustle and bustle that comes with operating as both a ball-winner and distributor. So far, he’s not been handed the chance to showcase either under De Zerbi. Rather, the former Brighton and Marseille boss has favoured a double pivot of Sandro Tonali and Rodrigo Bentancur. The former is the £100m summer signing. The latter is the experienced head that offers defensive diligence in a key area.
The issue, though, is that there is then a disconnect between the two banks of midfield. Spurs – in theory anyway – have the pair of defensive shields that allows the full-backs to provide the width when the wingers cut inside. Conversely, there is a lack of thrust through the middle. This was a major problem for Spurs last season. They had an abundance of runners and ball-winners but none who could really link the play.
It means that Spurs have the means to dictate the tempo and control proceedings in the middle of the park. A 60.7% possession haul is the third most in the division. However, an average of 9.6 chances created per game ranks 13th. It’s all sizzle and no steak.
What’s clear is that Spurs need to make a change to the setup as early as this weekend. De Zerbi needs to drop one of Tonali or Bentancur in the double pivot – potentially the former given his teething issues following his summer arrival – and move Fernandes into his best position.
Once De Zerbi realises that Fernandes isn’t a No. 10 in his system, then supporters will see one of their marquee summer signings at their best, increasing the likelihood of Spurs pulling off the foot of the Premier League table.
