Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi is not a man who sits around and waits, and he is certainly not one to simply rest. The Italian manager has already pushed Spurs to bring in his old Brighton star center back Jan Paul van Hecke, and he is also pushing for an even bigger Premier League signing in Italian international and Newcastle United starting defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali.
De Zerbi is looking for technically great players on the ball who can play in his system and revamp Spurs into being Champions League contenders every season, as opposed to a club just scraping away from relegation.
But actually, the latest ambitious target De Zerbi wants for Spurs is someone he relegated; it's just that this player was a massive breakout star and the main bright spot holding together that relegated club, West Ham United.
Tottenham are going for a big Premier League standout
Fabrizio Romano confirmed on his YouTube channel that the tranfer news about West Ham young gun Mateus Fernandes is true and that Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham Hotspur are indeed interested in the in demand defensive midfielder, who has also been closely linked with Real Madrid, Manchester United, and other big European clubs.
Per Romano, Tottenham have actually went as far as opening talks for Fernandes, and although Jose Mourinho is said to be keen on him and Man United are very closely linked as a landing spot with their needs in midfield, the Italian transfer journalist stated that it is way too early to really know where the 21 year old is going to land.
Mateus Fernandes was one of the biggest breakout stars in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. Despite having no real help around him in the West Ham midfield, Fernandes was an absolute demon in all phases. He averaged nearly four combined tackles and interceptions won per game, completed around 88 percent of his passes, put up a key pass per game, drew 1.4 fouls per match, and even had seven goal contributions as a defensive midfielder on one of the worst sides in English football.
It is clear that the Jorge Mendes client is ticketed for big things in the future, and while it will be difficult for Tottenham to sign him over interest from Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid or even Manchester United, who have been resurgent under club icon Michael Carrick in the manager's chair, that does not at all mean that De Zerbi and the Lilywhites should not at least try.
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