Tottenham complete Mateus Fernandes signing - West Ham midfielder moves for record fee
Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes on Thursday. According to Sky Sports, the North London club have paid €98.6 million for the Portuguese talent. Such a fee comfortably surpasses Tottenham’s previous transfer record, which was the €65m paid for RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons last summer. The fee will be the second-highest transfer fee West Ham have received for one of their players, coming in behind the €116.6m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice in 2023.
"I'm very excited for this next step. Spurs is a massive club and the head coach was a key part of why I have decided to join," said Fernandes in a statement on the Tottenham website. "When we spoke, it was very special. We look at football in the same way - going onto the pitch as a strong team, with fight and energy, to try and win every game. I can't wait to get started, to meet the fans, to meet everyone, and give everything for the club."
Tottenham’s ability to secure the signature of Fernandes will be celebrated by fans of the North London club, with the midfielder being heavily linked wth moves to Manchester United, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks. The move is also the latest sign of Tottenham’s aggressive transfer policy this summer, with the club having already spent €60m to sign Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, as well as Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers, with Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali reportedly set to join the club for an even larger fee.
Fernandes made the move to West Ham less than 12 months ago, when the Hammers paid Southampton €44m for his signature ahead of last season. The Portuguese talent wasted little time establishing himself as one of West Ham’s most important players, and while the club were unable to avoid relegation, Fernandes showcased his evident ability to thrive in the Premier League. As such, the player’s market value has shot up from €8m to €50m in the space of two years. Now that Tottenham have signed Fernandes for €98.6m, it takes the total transfer fees paid for the midfielder over the course of his career to €157.6m, making him the third most expensive Portuguese player of all time in terms of cumulative transfer fees.