Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Mateus Fernandes is having an incredible run of form now that he is back in his preferred position as a hybrid 6 and 8 at the base of the Spurs midfield next to fellow blockbuster signing Sandro Tonali.
Fernandes came into Tottenham as an 85 million pound transfer from rivals West Ham United after their relegation to the EFL Championship, and he was so good despite playing for one of the worst teams in the Premier League last season that he was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the league even as a 21 year old.
Mateus Fernandes is better than advertised offensively
With the way Fernandes has dominated Chelsea and Crystal Palace in successive 2-0 wins, the lampooning Spurs faced from the media about overpaying 85 million pounds for Fernandes has dissipated, and in conjunction with how terrible the Manchester United midfield has been after they passed on the Portuguese international, Spurs signing of Fernandes now looks like a straight up coup.
But what Fernandes is able to do at Tottenham Hotspur under Roberto De Zerbi compared to at West Ham in a squad with far less talent than this year's Spurs and a revolving door of terrible coaches has to be highlighted to a greater extent. Mateus Fernandes has almost doubled his involvement of attacking actions in the final third on a per game basis, and while some of that may be due to playing as a 10 earlier in the season, he has actually been making more key passes and more involved in attacks as a defensive midfielder lately because 1) it suits him more and 2) Spurs are really clicking now compared to at the beginning of the 2026/27 season.
De Zerbi has Tottenham firing on all cylinders, and Mateus Fernandes is benefiting by showing more attacking nous and technical quality as a creator and passer than he was able to at West Ham. Now, those watching him closely, which definitely included De Zerbi on that list, could evidently see his ability to be a great passer and creative force. But look at the quality of that cross to Jan Paul van Hecke before the sealing goal against Palace. Or the weight of any of his progressive passes from deeper. Fernandes is a maven on the ball in the final third, and he is now able to show the true extent of his attacking quality at Spurs, hence why the 85 million pound transfer really may have been an under valuation.
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