For the second straight season, Tottenham Hotspur have made a blockbuster signing to take the most valuable player away from rivals West Ham United, whom they relegated last season by beating Everton on the final Matchday of the campaign.
Mateus Fernandes is set to become a new pillar of Roberto De Zerbi's defense, as the Italian manager fought hard to bring in the Portuguese midfielder, just 21 years old, to Spurs. The club were finally willing to outpay organizations as big as Manchester United and Real Madrid to a blockbuster signing, and now Fernandes is all but officially theirs for a cool 85 million pounds, per The Athletic's David Ornstein and others.
Now that Fernandes has been secured, here are the biggest winners and losers of the move.
Winner: Roberto De Zerbi
There is no doubt that Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi is the biggest winner of the blockbuster deal. He proved to a degree greater than even the Jan Paul van Hecke signing from Brighton that he has massive pull as a manager and can get Spurs to bring in "A" level targets over the big boys in Europe - which Spurs should be one of. De Zerbi now has one of the best young defensive midfielders in the game to build his new tactical system in a fresh 2026/27 season.
Loser: Lucas Bergvall
Lucas Bergvall submitted a transfer request to Tottenham because of their interest in Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, and now that Spurs have officially secured the signing of the younger of the two aces, Bergvall is truly pushed to the periphery in terms of minutes. it is entirely unclear if Tottenham will actually listen to his transfer request, but Bergvall is a loser now.
Winner: Xavi Simons
Xavi Simons desperately needed stronger midfield players behind him to defend, maintain possession, and help get him the ball in better attacking positions. Fernandes had more than a key pass per game for West Ham Unitd and nearly a handful of assists on a horrible team, so you can only imagine what he would do with players like, yes, Simons around him. The Dutchman just got a real star to play with him in the middle of the park.
Loser: Joao Palhinha
Although Roberto De Zerbi had said that Joao Palhinha was very important and that he wanted to keep the Portuguese international, that clearly is no longer the case. The trail has gone totally cold for Palhinha, and with a younger and better Portuguese Premier League player in tow, Palhinha is likely headed back to Bayern Munich without the option to buy activated.
Winner: Micky van de Ven
Micky van de Ven will love the addition of Fernandes to the midfield, because it means more defensive cover in the form of a player who had well over four combined tackles and interceptions for the Hammers last season. The Dutchman will have better shielding and cover, as well as a young, energetic player who can give him more grace to make challenges and take risks as a center back.
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